The amount of space you need and the specific location of the solar array will depend on several factors. Typically, we like to install solar systems on your roof, but they can also be ground mounted. Solar thermal systems produce about 4x as much energy per square foot than PV collectors. So, we tend to install these collectors in the sunniest spot on your roof. And since thermal collectors are so efficient at converting sunlight into usable energy, a typical family of 4 only requires 2 – 4’x8’ collectors! It takes a lot of PV collectors to offset the energy consumption of your home, so we typically will use all available roof space for installing PV panels. We can also make the system smaller to accommodate your budget, but we also try not to install systems larger than 10kW to avoid standby fees.