The main reasons solar panels end up on roofs are 1) It's the only sunny place, or 2) We don't have any place on the ground for them, limited yard space, etc. In our case, we have 20 acres, there are plenty of sunny spots. Having your panels on the ground make them easier to install, easier to clean, easier to sweep snow and debris off of them, like leaves and bird droppings, and if you change tilt seasonally like most installers recommend, easier to adjust. My favorite installation is at a neighbors, they have a nice vegetable garden at the sunny end of the yard, and they just put a gravel bed behind the garden, then cemented in the support posted for a ground array right behind the garden. It looks really nice, nobody had to go up on a ladder, and the roof will never leak as a result of a bad mount or high wind pulling at the panels. If you have the yard space someplace, I highly recommend it. Then you can make your structure as aesthetically pleasing as you like without having to add any contraptions to the roof. If you live in a winter environment you also get the added benefit of the snow reflecting some of the photons that hit the ground in front of the array back onto the array again at its winter tilt position.
The short answer to your question though is yes, the roof can work if you need it to. Ours is only 10 feet by 24 feet, and the array only uses up about half the space. You get about 10 watts per square feet with most modern panels, you can do the math and see how much panel you need up there. Good luck, and take care, Rudydoo
The ideal roof for solar panels would be a flat surface without any vent pipes sticking out. It would be oriented due south (if you're in the northern hemisphere), and tilted off the horizontal. Ideally be tilt angle would be the same as the latitude of the location. You can deviate from the tilt or orientation if you have to, or adjust them to maximize production during winter or summer months, if desired.
One critical thing is that you cannot have anything shading the roof for most of the day. If your plan is to have any trees around for shade, it would be best to put your array elsewhere.
The panels should face south, preferably changing from SE to SW with the Sun through the day and at an angle apropriate for the latitude and season. The panels can be mouted on mounts to be at a different orientation than the roof, in the worst cases, on pole mounts. A flat roof is actually best as it allows for ease of cleaning and maintenance.
Perhaps, you should consider a roof-top garden.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roof-top_ga...
I'm thinking about building a small cabin as a vacation spot. Dimensions will be:
Height: 13'5"
Width: 8'6"
Length: 28' - 30'
I'd like to go for a rounded or "caravan" style roof. Is this roof shape okay for use with solar panels?
