Page 371 - A Comprehensive Guide to Solar Energy Systems

378 A COmPrEhEnSIVE GuIdE TO SOLAr EnErGy SySTEmS

FIGURE 19.5 Solar panels on farm buildings, Dorset UK. Photo: B. Dower (all rights reserved).

FIGURE 19.6 Sketch of train cover tunnel. Source: B. Dower (all rights reserved).

19.2.2 Integrated Materials
recent developments in building materials have increased the availability of building-
integrated solar generation, with, for example, tiles or slates for roofing that have PV cells
within them [5]. By integrating the solar units with the fabric of the roof, the design of the
building is not compromised by panels added to the surface. The cost of solar integrated
materials is, however, still high.

19.2.3 Free-Standing Solar Farms

While most domestic solar installations are mounted on buildings, utility-scale installa-
tions are free-standing or ground-mounted. Arrays of panels mounted on frame structures
have both advantages and disadvantages. A key advantage is that the scale of the develop-
ment is not limited by the size of a roof or building structure and can be extended over