"jim" wrote in message
...
My south facing tiled bungalow roof needs refurbishment. Does anyone have
experience of integral solar pv tiles installed on the sunny side of the
roof?

One example of the style under consideration is

http://www.solarcentury.com/uk/c21e/...ar-plain-tile/

ie these panels are installed in place of the tiles - they are NOT the
type of pv panel which sits on top of an existing slate/tile roof.

One option under consideration is to ignore the FIT tariff & simply use
the pv tiles to generate watts (via an inverter) to power an extra
immersion heater, completely bypssing the house 240V elec supply.

My focus at the moment is in building/installation/durability/engineering
aspects etc - NOT economics!

Economics will be considered once one or more feasible options have been
established.

TIA for any insights.

What you are looking at is "integrated PV roofing systems."
There are lots about.
You certainly don't want to ignore FIT, it is a good money spinner.
I looked at it myself.

Pros
It looks neater.
It covers the entire roof.
You can get funny shaped one now for valleys, ridges etc.
The wiring is accessible from the roof space
..
Cons
It is less efficient as there is no cooling air on the back of the panels.
Knocks off 5-10% in hot weather.
PV panels like the cold.

If a panel goes kaput, will replacements still be available? (You could keep
spares.)

They cost more than retrofits , but there is no "under roof" to buy.

It can be hard to remove a panel if it becomes neccessary. (They are
interlocking)
So repairs might be expensive.

It is hard to access panels not on the edge of the roof.