Tiny House

Installing Solar Panels on the Tiny House

From the very beginning of this project, it was essential for me that my Tiny House be powered entirely though clean, renewable energy. Solar power is the cornerstone of this philosophy and so having the solar panels installed on the Tiny House feels like an incredible milestone.

TINY HOUSE SOLAR (1 of 7)

The team from Solar Group have returned to carry out the install. You may remember them from the solar water heater that we installed on the roof before. As was explained in a previous post, this heater has been removed to allow for more solar energy on the roof and we will be utilising the additional power to supply a 12v DC water heater inside the house. The solar collector and the tank from the previous install are still able to be connected to the house in a modular fashion.

TINY HOUSE SOLAR (2 of 7)

Installing solar panels on a Tiny House is much the same process as installing them on a regular home. However, as Tiny Houses are subject to movement, including travel on motorways, it’s essential that extra care is taken to ensure the panels are incredibly well fastened to the roof. In this case, the team from Solar Group installed an extra rail (total of 3) to ensure that the solar panels aren’t going anywhere.

TINY HOUSE SOLAR (3 of 7)

Each of the solar panels has a peak output of 285 watts, giving us a total of 1140 watts per hour. As I am not powering much in my tiny house and as the devices that do require electricity are all very efficient, this should easily exceed all my needs for energy within the home.

TINY HOUSE SOLAR (5 of 7)

One of the benefits of these panels is that they are monocrystalline, which means they are more consistent in their performance across different ambient temperatures. This can be a huge benefit when you have a home which is constantly on the move!

TINY HOUSE SOLAR (6 of 7)

Now, with the Solar Panels on the roof the Tiny House is completely enclosed and can be transported to the next location for the internal fit-out. In an up-coming post and video, I will talk about the rest of the solar system, including the solar controller and batteries, so stay tuned!

TINY HOUSE SOLAR (7 of 7)

Another huge thanks to Roy and his team from Solar Group for their stellar work on this Tiny House. With the solar panels now on the roof, the home is one step closer to being powered by the sun!

 

30 years plus logo