Is solar appropriate?
Watch the video or answer the questions below
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtQWSaEUA2k
Do you have a suitable roof?
You can used a flat roof or sloped roof with a pitch of between 30 and 50 degrees. If it is sloped, it should face from between south-east and south-west and not be heavily shaded (by surrounding buildings or trees).
The roof will also have to be strong enough to support the panels. Modern panels are quite light so this should not be a problem unless you already know that the roof is weak. (A full assessment of roof strength and the best way to install the panels will be carried out by the installer before starting the work).
Can you use the electricity you generate on-site?
Covering installation costs from reduced fuel bills will only be possible (within a reasonable period of time) if you are able to use the electricity that is generated on site. This will generally require the building (or other buildings on the same site) to be used during daylight hours for most of the week (at least five days) for most of the year.
In the past generous feed-in tarriffs have allowed you to sell surplus electricity back to the grid. You can still do this, but most suppliers now generally pay you a very low rate. Storing energy in batteries to use in evenings is becoming cheaper, but not yet cheap enough to be economically viable in most locations.
Schools, pre-Schools and other Community Projects
Places of worship that are in close proximity to schools, pre-schools or other daytime community projects may be particularly suited to generating solar power as these organisations are likely to be able to use the electricity as it is generated. If these operate out of separate buildings it might be more appropriate to install the panels on those buildings. (If there is shared use of energy by different organisations there will clearly need to be some agreement on how the costs of this will be allocated.