In order to reduce the electricity demand of the residential buildings in the area, one of the solutions with the greatest potential is Photovoltaic (PV) Panels.
The urban district of Dennistoun is situated at latitude 55.8N. In order to achieve the maximum source of direct sunlight, any solar panels must be facing due south. Most of the buildings in the area, and in urban Glasgow, are tenement flats, so the decision was made to focus on any south facing roofs of tenement buildings. Due to the street layout of the area, there is a relatively abundant resource of suitable locations. An example of a suitable rooftop is shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1 – A proposed rooftop solar installation
It is estimated that there are around 440 similar locations in the project area. After contacting Milnbank Housing Association, who have received quotes for solar panels and operate similar buildings in the area, the rooftops are expected to be structurally suitable for such an installation. The tilt of the rooftops is expected to be around 30-40°.
The estimated usable roof area was also obtained (mainly through Google Earth measurements) and was found to be around 33m2.
As previously mentioned, the majority of Glasgow’s housing stock consists of tenement buildings. This provides the basis for the transferability of this scheme to other urban districts. The orientation of buildings is such that there are many south facing tenement roofs in areas such as Partick and Anderston.