AS BARBADOS CONTINUES to push its renewable energy programme, new research has found that some photovoltaic (PV) panels are being incorrectly installed on buildings, including homes, across the country.
And it has concluded that homeowners and those with commercial properties may not be getting the maximum benefits of their systems as a result.
The research, said one of the academics involved in the project, Dr Tom Rogers, a lecturer in the Faculty of Science Technology at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill campus, concluded that the PV modules should not be installed directly on rooftops as this prevents air from flowing and leads to heat absorption into the building.
“You have to allow a reasonable air gap between the PV modules and the roof. If you don’t do that then you’re going to reduce the energy that you generate and you’re also going to heat up the building below,” he said. (WILLCOMM)
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