Why a Solar Pergola?

A solar pergola was a perfect solution for a number of reasons:

1. Our roof is complicated and there was no place to put the panels.   

2. We live in a hurricane zone, so we didn't really like the idea of putting the panels on the roof.    Even with the pergola, we did need to have an engineer create the plans and have it inspected and approved by Texas Windstorm.

3. The roof is not at the optimum angle for panels in Texas.   We could build the pergola with a lower angle that would generate maximum power.

4. The pergola also keeps the sun out of the large windows at the back of the house and reduces heat load for the building.

5. The house was built with a very small 6 x 10 patio so we needed more outdoor space anyway.  It's a great place to sit and enjoy the yard.

Here's the view of completed pergola in April of 2015.