In-Roof Solar & Battery Installation, Diggle

The Project

This job took us out to Diggle, a village on the edge of Saddleworth in Greater Manchester, for a full solar and battery installation. The brief was a 25-panel in-roof array paired with an inverter and battery storage, fitted to a large roof with sweeping views across the surrounding valley and hillside.

A system of this size needs careful planning, both for the physical layout of that many panels across the roof and for making sure the inverter and battery are sized correctly to make the most of what the array generates. Choosing an in-roof mounting system on top of that added another layer of precision to get right, since the finish depends on the panels and surrounding tiles lining up cleanly.

An In-Roof Mounted System

Rather than sitting on top of the tiles on rails, this installation uses an in-roof mounting system, with the panels sitting flush within the roof plane itself. Tiles are removed from the mounted area and the panels fit directly into the resulting gap, giving a cleaner, lower-profile finish than a standard on-roof rail-mounted array.

This approach takes more work to install correctly, since the surrounding tiles and flashing need to tie in neatly around the panels rather than simply clamping onto the existing roof surface. The result is a system that sits much closer to the roofline, giving a more integrated look overall.

The full 25-panel array, viewed from above

The array set against the Saddleworth hillside

The in-roof mounting frame, flush with the surrounding tiles

Inverter and Battery Storage

Alongside the panels themselves, the system includes an inverter and battery storage, allowing the property to store surplus generation rather than exporting it all straight back to the grid. For a system generating from 25 panels, having battery storage in place makes a real difference to how much of that generation actually gets used on-site, rather than sent away for a fraction of its value.

On Site in Diggle

Working on a large, elevated roof in a village setting like Diggle brings its own considerations, from scaffolding access to simply the scale of coordinating a 25-panel in-roof installation from start to finish. Hayden talks through the job, and Dan completing the final connections, in the video below.

Hayden explains the job, with Dan completing the final connections on site

Overlooking Diggle during the installation

Panning over the panels and surrounding countryside

Drone flyover of the completed installation

The Result

The property now has a substantial 25-panel in-roof solar array, backed by inverter and battery storage, set on a roof that makes the most of its position overlooking the Saddleworth countryside. It’s a good example of what’s possible when a larger, in-roof system is planned properly from the outset, rather than simply scaled up from a smaller, standard installation.

If you’re considering an in-roof solar and battery installation, our team is happy to travel beyond our usual Cheshire base for the right project.