Tips for Solar Panel Installations on Polymer Roofing
How green are you? If you’re like many environmentally-conscious homeowners, it’s not enough to recycle your newspapers and compost old banana peels and coffee grinds. You may want to go “off the grid” by including solar panels in your roofing system.
Getting from the “idea” of having solar panels on your roof to actually incorporating them on your home is a big step. You’ll probably wish to consult a licensed PV/solar installer with a General Contractors license. This person will need a licensed electrician on the team to wire the panels and get the panels inspected once installed.
The good news is that you can include solar panels on your DaVinci Roofscapes composite roofing!
According to Tyler Storfa, DaVinci’s Western Technical Services Manager (see On the Road with DaVinci’s Tyler Storfa) it’s not any more difficult to include solar panels with polymer roofing than with most other roofing materials, and it’s actually easier than including panels with more ridged roofing products like natural slate, clay and concrete tile.
Here are some insights from Tyler that can help get you started:
Tip #1 – When having a mounting system for solar panels installed, make sure anything that penetrates the tiles is flashed appropriately. Most systems need “L” type brackets to be lag bolded into rafters to hold a rail system that the solar panels are mounted on. The “L” brackets have to be attached both under and through our simulated shake and imitation slate products. This is the area that needs to be properly flashed.
Tip #2 – Contractors can rest easier when walking on DaVinci’s green roof systems. Our synthetic roofing material will not break when walked on, so it’s actually a bit easier to make solar panel installations.
For more insights on solar panel installations on fake slate and cedar shake alternative roofs, see From the Architects Corner – Solar Panels.