Chatsworth, CA · 2024 – 2025 · LADWP / LADBS

Eight modules nobody can see.

A modern house in Chatsworth with a flat roof and a parapet all the way round. The array sits on a low frame behind that parapet, barely tilted, and is invisible from the ground.

On a flat roof behind a parapet the array can be laid almost level on a low frame. It gives up a little output against a steeply tilted frame, and in exchange nothing is visible from the street and there is no wind sail above the parapet line.

At a glance

System

2.5 kW AC-CEC

Modules

8 × Q CELLS 365 W

Inverters

Enphase IQ7+

Roof

Flat, parapet all round

Mounting

Low frame, minimal tilt

Visibility

None from street level

Building

New build

Utility / AHJ

LADWP / LADBS

The story

The house is new and modern: flat roof, white parapet running the whole way round, nothing on the skyline. Eight Q CELLS 365-watt modules had to go somewhere on it.

They went on a low aluminum frame in the middle of the roof, raised just enough to let water and air move underneath and angled only slightly. From the ground you cannot tell the house has solar at all — the parapet is taller than the array.

A steeper tilt could increase annual production. It would also change how visible the array is from the street and change its structural and wind-load design. On a roof like this one the shallow frame is the trade that fits the building.

Every module runs on its own Enphase IQ7+ microinverter. On an array this small that matters more rather than less: with eight modules, one underperforming panel is an eighth of the system, and per-module monitoring is what makes that visible instead of invisible.

The other thing this project turned on was sequence. The house was still being finished and the roof was not ready. The owner asked us to come the week after next rather than the next one, because the roofers needed the time and the week between was forecast wet. We moved. Solar goes on after the roof is done, not alongside it, and a week of waiting is cheaper than lifting an array to let somebody finish underneath it.

How it ran

Two separate phases on a house that was still being built: coordinating the installation with the roofing in 2024, and the utility closeout in 2025. The 2025 dates run from the interconnection application to the net meter.

What we did

• Set the array on a low frame in the middle of the flat roof, below the parapet line.
• Installed eight modules, each on its own microinverter.
• Scheduled the installation around the roofers and the weather rather than ahead of them.
• Supplied the utility with the service equipment photographs needed to release the field order.
• Carried the project through the utility's review to the net meter.

System specifications

Is your project like this one?

• Your roof is flat with a parapet and you do not want the array seen.
• You are building and the roof is not finished yet.
• You have been offered a tilted frame and want to know what it costs you either way.
• Your array is small enough that one weak panel matters.
• Your Chatsworth property is served by LADWP, while permits are handled by LADBS.

Cali Energy in Chatsworth

Frequently asked questions

Can solar go on a flat roof with a parapet?

Yes, and the parapet is part of why it works. Here the array sits on a low frame in the middle of the roof, angled only slightly, so it stays below the parapet line and is not visible from the street. A steeper frame would change both how visible the array is and how the frame has to be engineered for wind.

Does laying panels almost flat lose much output?

It gives up some, mostly in winter when the sun is low. What a shallow frame buys on a roof like this is that nothing is visible from the ground and the array stays below the parapet rather than standing above it. A steeper tilt raises production and changes the structural and wind-load design. Which side of that trade is right depends on the roof and on what the owner wants to see.

Should solar go on before or after a new roof is finished?

After. On this project the roof was still being completed, so the installation was scheduled for the week after next rather than the next one, with rain forecast in between. Putting an array on and then lifting it so somebody can finish underneath costs more than waiting.

Does Cali Energy work on flat and parapet roofs in Chatsworth?

Yes — newer builds here commonly have them. Chatsworth is inside City of Los Angeles boundaries, so permits run through LADBS and interconnection through LADWP, and the mounting and attachment details for a flat roof are part of the approved plan set.

What this would look like on your roof

Related

• One roof. Four arrays. Two angles Chatsworth, CA · 13.77 kW DC · REC 405 W Solar
• The tile came off. The tile went back on Chatsworth, CA · 11.13 kW DC · tile and shingle Solar
• Three years later, the inverter stopped reporting Chatsworth, CA · 8.19 kW DC · warranty replacement Solar
• Two houses. One builder. Two years apart Sherman Oaks, CA · new builds · 400 A solar-ready service Solar

This timeline reflects this property and this permitting path. Updated September 2026.