Roof Integrated Photovoltaic Panels United Solar Ovonic & Acrylife

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to design a system for integrating United Solar photovoltaic panels to an Acrylife polyvinyl chloride membrane to be used on low-sloped roofs. There are several issues that have to be examined when combining the two products. Attaching the panels to the roof becomes an issue due to the nature of PVC. Simple adhesives will not maintain adequate bonding for the desired product life of twenty years. The method used to attach the photovoltaic panels to roof becomes an issue if an adhesive cannot be developed to last the desired lifetime. Next is the issue of the electrical connection of the photovoltaic panel. What that connection is, and how it is made will play a critical role in the versatility of the system. Wiring also becomes an issue when looking at the scale of implantation on the roof. How the wire runs will be organized and what that system will be. The final issue is organizing all the solutions into one viable solution, which is code compliant and financially feasible.