At its grand opening on Earth Day (April 22) this year, the Bullitt Center introduced itself to Seattle and the world. The six-story, 50,000-sq-ft office building is the first urban commercial building in the United States to meet the goals of the Living Building Challenge. The international certificate program, created in 2006, promotes the most advanced measurement of sustainability in building. Influenced in seven performance areas — beauty, energy, equity, health, materials, site and water — projects that achieve the Living Building Challenge are the greenest in the world.

The Bullitt Center, here still being finished, has a 242-kW solar system on its roof, manufactured by HatiCon Solar. Photos courtesy of John Stamets.

In the case of the Bullitt Center, in addition to its wooden frame (which should extend the structure’s lifespan to 250 years), automatically programed windows (for temperature regulation), oversized windows and high ceilings (to provide 82 percent of the center’s lighting naturally) and composting toilets (all water and waste is treated on site), the $30 million building is completely off-grid, using geothermal energy and a 242-kW solar power system.

The large rooftop system is unique in that it’s actually a ground-mount refurbished to fit on top of the building. HatiCon Solar, an Ontario, Calif.-based mounting and racking manufacturer, produces systems for pitched roofs, flat roofs and ground, but found its all-aluminum, ground-mount the most ideal for the Bullitt Center. Additional testing and certification was needed — the city had to approve the solar panels to extend out over the sidewalk — but HatiCon Solar’s involvement in the ground-breaking project was fairly uncomplicated.

HatiCon Solar founded in 2009 and has more than 100 MW of product in the ground in the United States thus far. Each system uses pre-assembled components and few parts to provide a quick installation, including universal module clamps that slide and click onto structural rails. HatiCon Solar systems are all-aluminum (except for stainless steel hardware and ground posts), which provides an even greener product for customers.

“At the end of the project’s life, [the mounting/racking system] is 98 percent recyclable,” says Eduardo Lainez, sales and marketing coordinator. “If you’re doing a large ground-mount installation and you’re looking at an ROI of a few years, at the end of life of the whole project, instead of getting 10 cents on the dollar for a steel-structure system, you’re getting closer to 70 to 90 cents on the dollar for an aluminum system. You’re actually generating some money on the backend, which is nice.”

HatiCon Solar’s mounting systems are very flexible, and Lainez says the company has found itself doing a lot of odd projects — the Bullitt Center being maybe the oddest. The HatiCon Solar ground-mount product was reconfigured to be placed on the roof of the six-story building.

HatiCon Solar installed a ground-mount system on the roof of the six-story Bullitt Center in Seattle.
Photos courtesy of John Stamets.

“The roof in particular could take a really strong point load, so you could do large spans,” Lainez says of the Bullitt project. “It’s more like BIPV than a stand-alone system on top. They needed a specific flush look. They were looking for an aesthetic look, so we modified our system.”

Assembly of the system was done on the roof, as it was easier to move the parts piece by piece. HatiCon modified and tested its existing ground-mount system with new aluminum connections to meet all requirements and building codes.
“We did do additional tests, both for installation and rain to make sure the rain would run off correctly, that the installation would work,” Lainez says. “The rails are extremely light and extremely strong, and the point load on the roof isn’t extremely heavy. There’s that wind strength, and it can take the snow load.”

The 242-kW system should produce more than enough energy for the Bullitt Center year-round. With super-insulated walls, a highly efficient heating and cooling system and the large windows, less electricity is needed to heat and cool the building and keep it lit up. Large electricity suckers, like computers, servers and other office equipment, are put on an energy limit. Tenants of the building can swap unused portions of their energy budget to other tenants, thus sharing the center’s full range of benefits.

Solar power makes up a small portion of the Bullitt Center, but it’s making a huge presence in producing a net-zero building, thanks to HatiCon Solar’s innovative mounting solution.

-- Solar Builder magazine

By Tim Cain

The goal of solar power is to lower costs, generate savings and provide a hedge against rising energy rates. Solar developers, financiers, utilities and businesses are all looking for a viable economic model to maximize a solar project’s return on investment (ROI). Driving down the cost of solar hardware and increasing productivity are the sure ways to maximize the ROI of a solar power system.

“I’ve seen a lot of changes in the industry,” says project superintendent Kevin Rosales, a 12-year veteran with SPG Solar, a provider of solar technologies and services for commercial and utility-scale solar projects. “The fierce competition, low cost of solar panels and dwindling energy rebates have made us look for ways to streamline our processes while maintaining high quality. Single-axis trackers were the natural answer.”

INCREASE PRODUCTION
In an effort to increase solar output, single-axis trackers have become the “go-to” racking solution since they increase production by up to 30 percent. Traditionally open fields used a fixed-tilt system, with the introduction of single-axis trackers and the lower levelized cost of energy (LCOE), trackers have become the mainstream ground-mount solution.

The decision to choose between a fixed-tilt and a single-axis tracker depends on geography, land, soil type, foundations and module stringing. Historically, there were reservations about a single-axis tracker and the increased maintenance and ground cover ratio (GCR). However, the technology has improved and most single-axis trackers require less than 16 man-hours of maintenance annually per megawatt and use a backtracking algorithm. So even with GCRs higher than 40 percent, the economics for a single-axis tracker still make sense in the Southwest compared to a fixed-tilt.

“The best tracker is one that’s been designed to shorten the overall installation timeline,” Rosales says. “Take the latest SunSeeker tracker, for instance; we ensured that it has a smaller footprint, one-third of the piers per megawatt and requires fewer materials and less labor. This all adds up to one thing: faster installation, which translates into lower costs that we can pass on to our customers in the form of lower project pricing.”

INSTALLATION-FRIENDLY
Single-axis trackers, like any other solar power system, are only as successful as their installation. Tracker installation can be divided into four important areas: foundation installation, racking installation, commissioning and operations and maintenance (O&M).

Foundation Installation
Vibro-piling wide flange beams is the preferred method of tracker installation for those who want to reduce costs, mitigate land impact and shorten construction timelines. Laying out the foundation with survey points versus string lines or other methods will increase efficiency and accuracy, thereby reducing labor costs. It is absolutely critical to have the proper machinery and skilled installation crew for this — a typical crew consists of one operator on the vibro-pile machine, one on the skid steer and one laborer verifying accurate placement and elevation of the pile. Maintaining pier tolerances in x, y, z directions eases installation of the tracker’s racking components and improves the overall quality of the installation.

Racking Installation
Staging materials during the installation of the piers increases the efficiency of the installation and cuts down on the time required to install the racking. This process can be separated into four segments — motor and controller installation, driveline installation, array wing installation and module installation. The most efficient way to tackle these segments is to deploy crews on each of these tasks. And, as with any racking product, quality control of the installation crews is critical to the success of the installation. Because welding has been eliminated with most single-axis trackers, the need for special on-site inspections is reduced, thereby decreasing the build cycletime.

Commissioning
It’s important to understand the system’s configurations and input variables prior to starting commissioning. This ensures that proper safety protocols are in place and removes the risk of improper configuration. Documentation of the system configurations and settings is important for O&M crews to troubleshoot the system in the future if required. Most systems have minor adjustment points to accommodate any aesthetic concerns, which may be small but are critical to the overall look of the system.

O&M
A well-established training manual or program — including installation and commissioning records — should be in place for any installation. Service technicians should be certified, trained and knowledgeable of the systems they are maintaining. While O&M requirements for systems vary, proper maintenance of the system is key to its uptime. If trackers are properly maintained, an uptime of up to 99 percent can be expected for most systems.

As the cost of solar continues to dramatically decline, with the price of solar panels falling 41 percent from 2011 to 2012 and the installed price of solar dropping 27 percent, prices are expected to continue to drop, but they will eventually bottom out. Improving production, therefore, becomes even more imperative. The simple installation of a single-axis tracking system increases a system’s output and maximizes a project’s ROI.

-- Solar Builder magazine

Visions of large ground-mounted solar projects consist of large posts drilled into the earth, with dirt and small rocks being hauled away. But not all ground conditions are ideal for a penetrating system. Ballasted mounting systems can work just as well on the ground as they do on rooftops. Patriot Solar Group has a ballasted ground-mount that has seen success at landfills, brownfields and among rocky soil conditions.

“Landfill caps cannot be penetrated at all so you cannot use a post-driven solution,” says Adam Parr, account manager for Patriot Solar. “Brownfields cannot have any major soil disturbance. For rocky soils, you can drive posts but you then run into possibly hitting rock and throwing off your array.”

These difficult ground conditions are usually the cheaper alternative for solar power compared to lush, green landscapes.

“When you look at the cost of the land of [difficult ground areas] compared to a pristine farm field or other ‘building suited’ land, it makes sense to go with inexpensive or otherwise unusable land,” Parr says.

Parr describes Patriot Solar’s ballasted ground-mount as “simple, with minimal parts and ease of use, all while providing the most functionality.” The system consists of: a cement block with adjusting plates that come pre-poured to site; a post that can be adjusted up and down for height differences and 10 to 30° to accommodate slopes; a truss which can be adjusted to the desired module tilt from 10 to 40°; and rails that hold five panels before sliding onto the next rail.

Patriot’s standard ballast block meets a 100 mph wind-load. For large projects, the company provides civil engineering assistance to ensure the ballast system meets desired criteria.

“We have built-in fork pockets for ease of use and can add a jagged edge that cuts into the dirt to prevent erosion or slippage,” Parr says. “Duck bills or earth anchors can be used as well if you have a slope to prevent sliding. You can also size the block smaller and add duck bills to use less cement and still meet the desired wind loads.”

Ballasted ground-mounts are more expensive than post-driven systems, mostly from the additional costs in concrete. But considering the costs associated with site prep and excavation (for rocky conditions) in addition to the added labor, the costs are pretty comparable for the two systems.

Patriot Solar Group began first as a manufacturer of fixed and tracking ground-mounts but soon saw a market demand for ballasted systems, so they were added to the product line-up.

“More and more landfills are being developed because it is land that is otherwise unusable,” Parr says. “Poor soils and unusable land make the cost of the land much less expensive. [And] there are no other options. They have to be ballasted.”

Patriot’s unique telescoping post has a multiple-angle adjustment plate that allows for height alteration with 10 to 30° of tilt variance. This allows the block to follow the contour of the land and keep in line with both post-driven sections and other ballasted sections of the array. Instead of laboring over removing large rocks, using ballasted ground mounts next to penetrating mounts saved crews time and money.

“With our ability to adjust the post height and tilt, we minimize the amount of site prep and can combat variations in slope,” Parr says. “Our design allows installation of racking and panels to take place on the ground without any heavy machinery or scaffolding.”

The next time developers run into rough terrain, a ballasted ground-mount could be the simple solution to a complicated installation problem.

-- Solar Builder magazine

Metal rooftops are found atop a wide range of buildings — family homes, storage warehouses, large industrial shops, sports arenas, you name it. All metal rooftops must be pitched, and large metal rooftops are considered “low-pitch” because they’re at angles less than 10°. The process of installing solar on these large metal rooftops is not so much of an issue as the fact that low-slope rooftops need modules tilted to get the most production. Advanced Racking Solutions focuses exclusively on manufacturing solar mounting solutions for low-pitched metal rooftops to solve the tilt problem.

“Because there’s a pitch to the roof, the traditional way of putting solar on a metal rooftop is to put it flush-mount on the south side, meaning parallel with the roof surface, and put nothing on the north side,” says Eric Stephenson, director of engineering and technology. “For low-pitched metal roofs, we developed a tilted solution, which would allow you to put solar on both the south and the north. It opens up the other half of the roof to rooftop solar.”

Flush-mount systems are not ideal for low-pitched metal roofs because their low tilt angles subject modules to snow cover and general poor yield since they’re almost horizontal. Heat buildup is also a big problem underneath the modules.

“With our titled solution, it’s vented and allows the heat to escape,” Stephenson says. “And because it’s tilted, you have a small aisle between each row. There’s no more climbing over top of the modules to get access to modules in the middle of the array.”

The two common types of metal roofs include an exposed fastener roof and a standing-seam roof. Exposed fastener roofs or corrugated steel roofs screw sheet metal into the structure, so fasteners are exposed. Advanced Racking manufactures the VICERAIL system for exposed fastener roofs and uses an EJOT fastener to penetrate the roof. The fastener is then sealed to make it water-tight.

Most of Advanced Racking’s work is on standing-seam rooftops. A standing-seam roof has a rib or seam that stands up generally every 2 ft. Roof panels meet together and roll into a weather-tight seam without using any fasteners.

“That seam presents a continuous knob that you can grab onto,” Stephenson says. “We use the S-5! clamp to connect the racking system to the roof. We took a version of our ballasted racking system and adapted it to use the S-5! clamp to clamp onto the seams.”

Advanced Racking’s VICERACK system’s ability to clamp onto the seams allows the system to be installed without ballast. As with any flat-rooftop solar project, the biggest obstacle is often ensuring the building can support an additional load. Not needing ballast with the Advanced Racking system is helpful for design.

“What was critical for us is that we have a system that would be benign as far as the wind loading was concerned,” Stephenson says. “The additional wind load on the building would make the project undoable. We spent a lot of time in the wind tunnel to make sure that we had a system that would not add any additional wind loads to the structure. We were able to achieve that.”

The type of material you place on top of a metal rooftop requires attention, too.

“All of [Advanced Racking’s] racking members are aluminum and the fasteners are stainless steel,” Stephenson says. “The aluminum is primarily for corrosion resistance. It’s also compatible with the types of coatings on rooftops. Standing seam rooftops are often finished with galvalume, a combination of galvanizing and aluminum coating. Having an aluminum racking system avoids some of the problems that come with dissimilar metals.”

Advanced Racking’s systems are almost entirely shop-assembled, so work on top of the roof is minimal. Very few tools are needed to install the S-5! clamps in the case of a standing-seam rooftop installation.

Metal rooftop mounting and racking systems from Advanced Racking Solutions are easy enough to install, but Stephenson says the real obstacle in gaining larger acceptance is changing people’s views on how solar works on metal roofs.

“One of the challenges that people have with low-pitched metal roofs is that a flush-mount system is not a great solution,” he says. “When people see that there is a better solution for a low-pitched metal roof, they will start to look differently at rooftops that are out there. Roofs that were previously overlooked or not looked at very favorably will become a lot more appealing.”

-- Solar Builder magazine

Solar Builder reached out to the vast and diverse mounting and racking community, and the following are submissions from companies spanning all corners of the North American market, from residential rooftops to large ground-mounts and everything in between. It’s interesting to see how companies are working to reduce installation risks and system costs. Here are the newest and most unique mounting and racking systems out there now for your reviewing pleasure.

Advanced Racking Solutions VICERACK
VICERACK by Advanced Racking Solutions offers a low-weight, tilted mounting solution for all low-pitch, standing seam roof profiles. The weight of a VICERACK system (including solar modules) is less than 2 psf and is designed for inclinations of 5 to 30°.
The versatility of VICERACK means the system, connected with S-5! clamps, can be installed either square or skewed to the roof on both the north and south facing pitches.
Analyzed by several pre-engineered building supply companies, VICERACK systems are configured to avoid additional snow accumulation. The rear vented design and open side profile result in lower operating temperatures and improved solar yield. Access is available to all modules for maintenance. advancedracking.com

Applied Energy Technologies RAYPORT-B
AET claims to have the only stainless steel roof ballast system on the market with its RAYPORT-B solar rack that is designed to minimize installation time and cost. The RAYPORT-B is designed with the end-user in mind. Ease of ordering (only four part numbers to order), top-down assembly of PV modules, integrated fasteners (allowing one common bolt to be used for all joints), integrated panel grounding and industry-leading installation time make the RAYPORT-B a favorite with installers.
AET’s racks are the quickest to assemble on the market and fit all major solar modules. A full layout and loading analysis is provided for every project. With manufacturing located in Ohio, AET has the shortest lead-time in the industry. Most racking systems are available for immediate shipment. aetenergy.com

Creotecc Mounting Systems
Creotecc mounting systems provide superior module retention without the use of clamps, thereby accelerating installation times, minimizing stress on modules and improving aesthetics. With no clamps to fasten, modules are placed quickly and easily into insertion rails for faster panelization. Resting securely in place without clamps, modules are able to contract and expand naturally, minimizing the risk of micro-cracks and early degradation. Finally, straight rows are automatically produced by the insertion rail, creating a continuous, even plane surface and a beautiful, gap-free appearance. With more than 1 GW installed globally, Creotecc mounting systems for residential, commercial and utility applications are made in the United States, are P.E. certified and UL 2703 recognized. creotecc.us

DynoRaxx Evolution
The DynoRaxx Evolution flat roof system features rugged fiberglass components and DynoRaxx’s innovative tool-less clamping mechanism. The compact ballasted design requires no roof penetrations and has a smaller footprint than competitive systems.
The DynoRaxx Evolution fiberglass components cost less than traditional metal systems. The baskets are stacked like cups for huge savings in shipping. Installers assemble the system quicker with the tool-less pivot clamp design. This means a lower installed cost per watt and more profitable PV installations.
After an initial measurement and chalk line to place the first row, the precision components require no further field measuring. From module to module and row to row, installers work quickly assembling racking and clamping solar panels. dynoraxx.com

EcoFasten
Information from EcoFasten for mounting on low slope roofs and steep slope roofs.

Ecolibrium Solar ballasted systems
Ecolibrium Solar designs ballasted, flat-roof racking hardware, with a goal of reducing the cost and duration required to install solar arrays by focusing on polymer-based solutions, weatherability and roof-membrane material compatibility.
Ecolibrium’s original product, Ecofoot, offers simple installation — one foot and one bolt provides 15 modules/man-hours install time, with the ability to accommodate any framed module. Ecofoot2 offers integrated grounding and built-in wire management. The low part-count and simple, top-down clamping system makes installing the largest projects fast and easy. The system only requires a drill to install all the components including wind deflectors which reduce the ballast requirements lightening the load placed upon the roof. ecolibriumsolar.com

HatiCon Solar Pitched Roof System
HatiCon Solar’s pitched roof system is optimized for simple and fast on-site installation with no fabrication. Solar PV panels can be easily installed in portrait and landscape orientations. HatiCon Solar’s adjustable universal clamps click or slide on to the rail and only require one Allen wrench to tighten. This means less clamp inventory for the distributor or installer. Integrated grounding technology is available. Angle brackets connect standard industry stanchions to the HatiCon Solar rail. Angle brackets allow up to 1 1/2 in. of vertical and 3/4 in. of back-to-front adjustability in the field with no fabrication. The pitched roof system is available in mill and black anodized finishes. All hardware is stainless steel. Rails can span up to 16 ft and the system can work on a pitch of up to 70°. haticonsolar.com

MAGE SYSTEMTEC
MAGE SYSTEMTEC is a universally adaptable, easy-to-use mounting system that reduces installation time over conventional systems. It is designed to provide customized solutions with strong results on a wide array of ground and pitched roofing applications. Its innovative click-lock technology requires only a few tools which drastically reduces the installation time. This, in turn, increases the overall yield of the PV system for the end-customer due to lower costs for the investment and accelerated pay off time.
Covered by MAGE SOLAR’s 10-year material warranty, the rails are made of high-tier 6063-T6 extruded aluminum with fasteners and other hardware parts from stainless steel. M5 and M8 bolt sizes, a drill and clamps are sufficient for installation. magesolar.com

OMG Roofing Products PowerGrip
OMG PowerGrip is a roof mount system for securing solar racks to thermoplastic (TPO and PVC) roofing membranes. PowerGrip provides a secure connection directly to the roof deck or structural members. Once secured and heat-welded in place, properly installed PowerGrips limit rack movement and remain watertight.
Factory fabricated OMG PowerGrip assemblies are easy-to-install and compatible with most solar racking systems on the market. No field fabrication or assembly is required. Since they eliminate the need to cut open the roof down to the deck, the system saves time and labor. PowerGrips feature a 9-in. wide diameter welding flange and a 1/2-in. tall weather resistant aluminum perch. An exposed 1-in. tall by 3/8-in. diameter stainless steel bolt provides a secure connection point for solar racks. olyfast.com

PanelClaw Sun Bear
Sun Bear is a penetrating ground-mount racking system from PanelClaw designed for large-scale installation of PV power plants for almost any terrain, foundation and environment. With its distinct truss design structure Sun Bear streamlines PV construction with just four major components and zero loose fasteners to reduce construction risk, integrated turnbuckles to safely perform in-field adjustments, telescoping frame that maximizes shipping capacity and interchangeable foundations to reduce project risk.
Sun Bear takes an innovative approach to large ground-mount applications to reduce project risk and decrease total project lifecycle costs. Its four-component design includes a pre-assembled frame and in-field adjustability, for an unmatched combination of simplicity and flexibility. panelclaw.com

Patriot Solar 375 Series Ballasted Ground Mount
With only four major components — block, post, truss and rail — Patriot Solar’s ballasted ground-mount system is ideal for large commercial and utility-scale installations. The mounting structure is 100 percent hot-dipped galvanized steel. Five panels can fit per section. Tilt angles range from 10 to 40°. It’s rugged and weather resistant, and the ballasted ground mount comes with a 10-year guaranteed against mechanical failure (breakage) of the frame construction. patriotsolargroup.com

PV Racking
Find information on PV Racking for roof and ground-mounted racking here.

Quick Mount PV roof mounts
Quick Mount PV uses its patented QBlock Elevated Water Seal technology for superior waterproofing in the Classic Composition Mount and the Classic Shake Mount mounts on wood shake roofs. The QBase Composition Mount is a base-and-post style mount ideal for new roof construction. The QBase, the strongest mechanical roof attachment available, is also used for the QBase Low Slope, QBase Shake & Slate and QBase Universal Tile Mounts. The Classic Conduit Mount lifts conduit off the roof to prevent wiring from overheating, and the Conduit Penetration Flashing waterproofs roof penetrations for conduit passing through the roof.
Quick Hook USA is the industry’s first flashed tile hook mount, available for curved and flat tile roofs. The Quick Groove offers Quick Mount PV’s patented waterproofing technology for Zep-compatible installations. quickmountpv.com
Check out installation instructional videos from Quick Mount PV here.

SolarDock mounting system
Invented in 2003, SolarDock was designed to meet the needs of commercial property owners and tenants for racking that would protect their building while providing a strong ROI. SolarDock is made from durable mill-grade aluminum and stainless steel, has been rigorously tested in the wind-tunnel and has TUV Rheinland’s certification.
SolarDock is engineered to protect the roof with no penetrations and has no metal parts touching the roof, eliminating the chance of roof leaks and damage. SolarDock’s full-frame support protects the panel from micro-fractures created by wind uplift forces. Enclosed sides and back protect the wiring from damage caused by weather, animals and birds. SolarDock saves money throughout the life of the system, with reduced installation costs, little or no operations costs and increased power generation. solardock.com

Solar FlexRack Utility Ground Mount
The SFR Utility Ground Mount incorporates advanced design engineering for optimal use of materials. Its all-steel rack dramatically reduces the price per watt. The entire system comes pre-assembled in two pieces, allowing for easy installation by a three-person crew in less than 10 minutes. The SFR Utility Ground Mount also has an integrated wire management system built into every rack by using z-purlin horizontal rails.
The SFR Utility Ground Mount utilizes a direct bolt connection for mounting modules to the rack. This method also bonds the module to the rack eliminating the need for an extra step to ground the modules to the racking system. Every rack is custom designed and project specific using structural analysis software to analyze the structure and ensure compliance with all applicable local building codes. solarflexrack.com

Sollega FastRack
Sollega Inc. debuts the new FastRack (FR5) 5° low-pitch solar roof-mounting system. The FR5 complements Sollega’s existing InstaRack (IR10 and IR15) product line and is the first truly universal one-piece modular mounting system engineered to mount all 60- and 72-cell modules. The lightweight stackable design is efficient to ship and quick to stage and install. The FR5 arrives assembled and ready to install with all hardware pre-attached. To install, position the FR5, add ballast and attach the module with four pre-installed top-mount bolts. Grounding is performed using a UL-certified mid-clamp. As with all Sollega mounting systems, all attachments utilize one tool, a standard 1/2-in. socket. Manufactured in California utilizing recycled HDPE plastic enhanced with ultra-violet (UV) inhibitor, the FR5 is guaranteed for 25 years. sollega.com

SunLink Precision RMS
SunLink’s Precision RMS boasts design innovations that enable installation on rooftops with limited deck capacity and advanced features that allow for faster installation making it possible for more building owners to install solar, even in locations where it wasn’t previously possible.
These features include roof-friendly rubber feet that can be adjusted to align loads with structural elements of the roof, and a roof following capacity of 7°/12 percent. Plus, with a linked rail structure and stiff aluminum frame, Precision RMS can withstand conditions in the highest wind, seismic and corrosion zones — opening up a wider range of environmental sites to solar, as well. sunlink.com

Sunmodo Ez Roof Mount
Not only is the Sunmodo’s Ez Roof Mount easy to install, but it is water tight and durable when used with any composite shingled roof. Ez Roof Mount has been certified under IAPMO ES for 100 percent compliance with International Building Code (IBC), International Residential Code (IRC) as well as watertight compliance UL 441 criteria.
In addition, Sunmodo offers Ez Metal Roof Mount, specially designed for metal roofs. With few components and single penetration, Ez Metal Roof Mount has a fast installation.
Recently, Sunmodo introduced another product line for metal roofs. The universal seam clamp is specially designed to distribute load evenly against metal standing seam roofs and allow for continuous pressure contact against the attachment surface with no permanent damage to the roof. sunmodo.com
Check out an installation video from Sunmodo here.

Zilla racking and mounting systems
Zilla designs and manufactures innovative solar racking, flashings, mounting systems and products that make solar power more practical and affordable than ever before. Zilla accomplishes this through thoughtful design that facilitates intuitive use and cost-saving efficiencies throughout the manufacturing, delivery and installation processes.
The Zilla product line applies best-in-class technology to provide outstanding racking and mounting solutions. Zilla leads the industry with systems that are on the cutting edge of technology and is redefining solar mounting solutions in ways that make solar installations safer, easier and more affordable. The company offers flat roof, flush mount, ground mount and custom systems to meet customer needs while focusing on strength, performance and value. zillarac.com

-- Solar Builder magazine

By William Feldman

Most any solar panel installation worth its salt, whether on the roof or on the ground, should feature secure mounting for the panels and a secure and protective raceway system to manage the dozens, hundreds or even thousands of cables. The issue heard, probably around the globe, is “What do we do with all these wires?”

When Snake Tray, a manufacturer of cable management systems, wanted to install solar panels on the roof of its headquarters in Bay Shore, N.Y., to reduce its electric bill, right off the bat it ruled out using conduit to route the cable because it is expensive and labor-intensive to install and often requires de-rating cables to compensate for the excessive heat buildup inside the conduit.

Instead, capitalizing on its engineering know-how, the company created an innovative system of cable management devices designed specifically for solar installations to streamline wiring for the 535 solar panels that were slated to go up on the roof. The new system, which also facilitates easy access to the cable and provides continuous support for them and the panels, was based on the company’s signature product, Snake Tray, a metal cable management system of open-web trays. The entire system is lightweight and does not substantially add to the weight load of the solar panel installation on the roof.

Solar Snake Tray is a weatherproof hand-bendable cable conveyance that easily, quickly and securely carries the DC circuitry from solar panels to their terminations. Installers change directions simply by bending the tray to accommodate the route of the run, which is a lot faster for installers in comparison to working with alternative methods.

The Solar Snake Trays feature an open, patented “lobster trap” design that permits easy drop-in of cables and lets air flow freely around the cables, allowing for heat dissipation and enabling copper conductors to carry their full capacity. This open web design precludes the need to increase the size of the cable and conduit, saving on the cost of copper cable. Also, the bendability of the tray simplifies installation compared to installation of other methods.

The trays connect with a single connector for a speedy bonded attachment, tray to tray, maintaining NEC compliance. The system is weatherproof and keeps cables in place even in hurricane force winds of up to 120 mph. Solar Snake Tray is available in hot-dipped galvanized or stainless steel to protect against weather and other environmental conditions.

Snake Tray also manufactures other solar accessories, including the UL-classified Solar Mega Snake, a pole-mounted management system capable of spanning distances in excess of 30 ft, and the Solar Messenger Snake Tray, which clips easily onto messenger wire rope without the need for tools or hardware.

Snake Tray, which itself generates about 75 percent of its electrical energy off its own roof, has supplied more than 1 million ft of Solar Snake Trays in installations in the United States and around the world in the last three years, in projects ranging from schools and sewage treatment plants, drugstores, meatpacking plants and railway station carports, all the way up to utility grade solar arrays producing hundreds of megawatts of energy.

-- Solar Builder magazine

Fixing leaks from residential PV installations costs more than you think.
Jeff Spies, vice president of business development for Quick Mount PV

Waterproofing penetrations for solar mounting is a serious issue. Unfortunately, many underestimate the long term cost impacts of this critical decision.

A solar array on a new roof can last 30 years, but long-term waterproofing is a challenge as mounts flex daily due to wind loads and the difference in expansion/contraction of wood roofing versus the metal PV racking.

Solar waterproofing is a statistical challenge. Solar installations require dozens of penetrations, meaning even a small leak rate can still be a big problem. A “small” 1 percent leak rate after 10 years equates to 30 to 50 percent of your PV installation leaking.

For a 5-kW system, quality flashed solar mounts cost $500 to $1,000 (10 to 20 cents/watt), however, removing/reinstalling the PV system costs $2,500 to $7,500 (50 cents to $1.50/watt) which equates to 25 to 50 percent of the cost of a brand new system, and wood rot or mold damage further increase costs. Fixing leaks will cost most PV owners more than replacing their inverter.

Most customers assume their warranties protect against this risk, but in reality, waterproofing warranties usually last no more than 10 years.

Saving money by economizing on waterproofing could be a costly mistake. In the end, quality solar flashed mounts are cheap insurance.

Most important residential installation concern? Location, location, location.
Russell Eisenman, marketing and social media for Quickscrews International Corp.

The most important consideration for using solar panels is installing them in the proper location and at the correct angle to the sun. Sunlight is important for solar, but even cloudy areas are great for solar energy. What matters more is one’s roof. As long as the roof is free of shade and faces south (east and west are good too, but south is optimal), there will be plenty of sunshine for the panels.

If you live in a place where direct sunlight for continuous periods of time is a challenge, then one may want to consider triple junction laminated panels. This category of panels contains photovoltaic cells which respond to more than one wavelength of light, picking up low-range or indirect light and converting them into electrical energy.

If one’s roof isn’t optimal for solar (faces the wrong direction, made of the wrong materials, etc.), a ground-mounted solar system is a good alternative. People commonly choose ground mounted if there is a lot of space on the property.
As often as possible, go for tabbed solar cells because this will make wiring easier for the installer. It may be a little more expensive, but the convenience is well worth it.

Make sure your racking system for large-scale installations is the full package.
Harman Kaur, marketing manager for RBI Solar

A good solar racking system for large-scale installations should have the following features:

• Fewer Posts — Reduced number of posts leads to faster installation.
• Self-grounded — Utility-scale racking should be ETL classified to UL 2703.
• Built-in Wire Management — This reduces the cost of wire management devices.
• Pre-assembled — Fast on-site installation happens with pre-assembled components.
• String Sizes — A good racking system should accommodate various string sizes.
• Individual Design — Projects should be individually designed to meet local building code requirements.
• Foundation Options — Different foundation options should be available to install the racking.
• Total Cost — Racking cost should include all components including cost of design/complete engineering, posts, racks, mounting hardware, freight to the jobsite and installation of posts/racks.
• Options — Often installation options offered by the racking manufacturer are economical, as they have highly skilled construction crews that install nothing but solar racking.

Figure out a game plan before beginning a job to ensure everything runs smoothly.
Kate Bayard, director of marketing for SolarDock

Visiting the site and developing an installation plan in advance helps the job run smoothly, resulting in less downtime and increased production. Three important things to consider in advance:

1. Do the build plans match actual roof conditions? Compare mechanical build plans to as-built roof conditions. Check layout specs to confirm dimensions, location of obstructions, shading or quirky roof features. If anything looks amiss, let the designer know so a solution can be developed before you get on the roof.
2. How will equipment be handled and staged? Identify where delivery trucks should unload, how equipment and materials will be lifted to the roof and where they will be staged for maximum efficiency during installation. This avoids confusion on delivery day, helping you get to work sooner.
3. Who will do what? Give workers clearly defined jobs that allow them to specialize on a single task. By having only one job, the worker is able to be more efficient and proficient at what they are doing. It also helps the foreman troubleshoot problems because he knows who was responsible for what.

-- Solar Builder magazine

AC modules are a simple and attractive option for the residential solar market, and their quick adoption could help promote rapid residential growth. When discussing the potential impact solar can have on the homeowning market with individuals at companies like SolarBridge Technologies — a manufacturer of AC module technology — you can hear the initial frustration with the slow-moving adoption rate of solar but then the excitement of what simpler technology could bring.

The SolarBridge microinverter comes pre-installed
on the solar panel, providing a quick and easy installation.

“There are about 200,000 [U.S.] homes that have put solar on their roofs compared to the total population of nearly 70 million single family homes. It’s really the tip of the iceberg,” says Craig Lawrence, vice president of marketing for SolarBridge. “Our belief is that to grow this market to its potential, an enormous workforce of solar contractors need to be trained, and that AC modules represent the most simple, safe, and effective means to mobilize that workforce.”

Using microinverters to quickly switch DC power over to AC at the panel level isn’t a foreign concept. But integrating that microinverter directly with the module and offering it as one product is becoming more of the norm, thanks to companies like SolarBridge.

BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS
The idea for SolarBridge Technologies was born in 2004 when University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign professors and researchers started commercializing power electronics products. The team packed up and moved to Austin, Texas, and decided to focus exclusively on solar and microinverters in 2008, and that’s when things started to take off. The company today has about 85 employees and continues to have a close R&D relationship with the university.

SolarBridge produces the Pantheon microinverter (now on its second generation) and monitoring system but partners directly with module manufacturers to offer customers a full package with one extended warranty. Modules usually have much longer warranties than inverters, so to have a microinverter on the same level as the module, an all-encompassing warranty is an ideal situation for the end-customer.

“Modules are robust and reliable devices, with a greater than 25-year life expectancy,” Lawrence says. “For a module manufacturer to integrate a microinverter on their panel and include it in their warranty, we need to prove to them that the microinverter can withstand the same harsh conditions that their modules are designed to handle. We have proven that to every module manufacturer we have partnered with.”

SolarBridge tests its inverters to the same standards as modules — something that is not required for certification. This extra step by SolarBridge ensures its partner companies (SolarBridge boasts eight partnerships, including SunPower and MAGE Solar) that the Pantheon microinverter is the real deal.

“Our competitors focus on selling a detached microinverter; the reason is we don’t think their product has the reliability needed to make it onto an AC module,” Lawrence says. Having a single warranty for the panels, microinverter and cabling is considerably more valuable to project owners.

SolarBridge partners with 8 module
companies that agree to sell their panels with
the SolarBridge microinverter pre-installed.

“There’s nothing stopping other microinverter companies from hooking up with panel manufacturers to produce AC systems, but SolarBridge’s lengthy warranty really sets them apart,” says Terence Parker, applications engineering manager. “We’re passionate about reliability. We redesigned the inverter and put it through extensive reliability testing before we decided we could offer a 25-year warranty.”

INSTALLER-FRIENDLY
St. Louis-based contractor StraightUp Solar has installed more than 2 MW of solar power systems around the great Gateway Arch in the last six years. In 2012, StraightUp started installing SunPower modules with the SolarBridge technology.

“We continue to install DC systems; however, many customers choose and enjoy the benefits of AC,” says StraightUp President Dane Glueck. “Our goal is to optimize the customer’s goals and provide a solar array that maximizes their investment over the long term. This means providing a solar array that is designed with their input and goals, that maximizes their usable solar space and meets their financial parameters. SolarBridge’s AC technology allows us more freedom to customize the design and feel good that we’re offering a dependable product that maximizes solar production.”

Homeowners get the usual microinverter-related benefits from an AC system — better production when shading and location are issues — but the real difference in an AC system is for the installer. There is no exposure to any shock hazard, a greater speed on roof installation because of integrated grounding and cabling and a quicker commission.

“This product, this AC module, was an inevitable milestone that had to be obtained for the PV industry,” Parker says. “High voltage DC systems turned a lot of well-trained electricians off. It really took the roofers completely out of the game. You really need experience to put in these high voltage DC systems that dominate the industry today.”

A standard AC module system runs on 240 volts, which is a safer alternative than DC systems and easier for the average electrician to understand.

StraightUp Solar employees install
AC modules equipped with the SolarBridge microinverter at a home in St. Louis.

“These systems are more familiar to inspectors. They’re more common as far as the components that go with them — besides the panels, these parts can be found at Home Depot,” Parker says. “It is the new installation paradigm. It’s a new product that will allow more homebuilders, electricians [and] roofing trades to get into this business and start saturating, making the dream of distributed generation come true.”

No specialized training is needed in string size and design. An average electrician already has enough knowledge to install an AC module.

“You wire these up as you would any other AC appliance in your home — an oven or a dryer,” Lawrence says. “If you want to go from 200,000 homes to 2 million homes, think of the number of installers and system designers that are going to need to be trained. They’ll want to be trained on this solution because they already know how to do it. There are very little new, specialized skills. An AC module is a true appliance — it’s designed to plug into standard home wiring as anything else.”

ROOM TO GROW
Once more homeowners and installers are shown that difficult solar plans are made easier with the AC module, SolarBridge believes there will be a shift in AC vs. DC acceptance. StraightUp Solar is spearheading that effort in St. Louis.

“We’re primarily utilizing AC modules on small and larger residential projects ranging from 2 to 10 kW,” Glueck says. “We, and our customers, really believe that this is where the AC systems provide the best combination of benefits: freedom in system design, mitigating shade, maximizing production and sharing the data on the benefits of the solar production via the web-based monitoring systems.”

As in all residential solar systems, the upfront costs are surprising, but in the case of ACPV, long-term considerations are more important. String inverters usually have to be replaced over the life of the system, while a microinverter keeps on kicking. And with SolarBridge’s warranty guarantee, that’s a promise. Also, BOS costs (like wiring and conduit) are reduced with a pre-assembled AC module system, as is installation time and energy.

“Consider this: Your SUV provides you a service. It takes the kids to school, you drive it on vacation. But it’s just going to continue to suck money throughout its entire life,” Parker says. “With a solar system, eventually it will have paid for its capital costs and start making you money. It truly does have a payback period. It’s good for family cash flow. It’s good for that monthly bill reduction. And it’s safe — a mother can feel safe that the [AC] solar system on the roof is very similar to every other electrical system in the home.

“I feel very confident and bullish about why these systems will begin to dominate the markets.”

-- Solar Builder magazine

In 1804, Ohio University became the first university established in Ohio. The ninth oldest public university in the United States, OU set up camp in Athens, Ohio, and the 20,000 students who call it home each year swell the population of the city only to leave once summer arrives.

But not Geoff and Michelle Greenfield. After completing their master’s degrees at OU, the couple decided to make Athens their home. They installed some solar systems on their off-the-grid home in 1997, and the community took notice. People started inquiring about how they did it and if they would help on new projects. What started out as a hobby job grew organically into a small solar business for the Greenfields.

Third Sun Solar was officially founded in 2000, and one of its first major projects was for the university that fueled the Greenfields’ love for Athens in the first place. Ohio University’s Innovation Center wanted solar installed on its rooftop. After the project was completed, OU invited Third Sun to move out of the Greenfields’ home and into its small business incubator, a place where tech-based businesses could get office space and support services to grow. Third Sun spent nine years at the university before “graduating” in November 2012 to a building all of its own.

“We saw the most rapid growth from 2008 to 2011. The company grew very quickly,” says Gerald Kelly, communications director for Third Sun. “We’re now trying to strengthen our position among solar installers in our region, looking at expanding into some market segments that we have served before but not focused on so much.”

Today the company employs around 25 people and does a mixture of residential and large commercial-sized projects. Its natural home base is Ohio, but Third Sun has done projects in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Kentucky, New York and Florida. Some of its customers include Kent State University, the Kentucky National Guard, Cincinnati Parks and, most recently, specialty insurance provider Assurant. Third Sun completed construction on Assurant’s 1.76-MW project in Springfield, Ohio, earlier this year.

“Assurant [was] considering entering the renewable energy insurance market,” says Jeanne Schwartz, vice president of new venture commercialization for Assurant. “To learn more about the solar energy industry, we decided to install a test project on one of our office locations.”

Assurant sent out a request for information to solar developers, asking them to recommend the best Assurant sites for installation. Every vendor came back with the recommendation to develop a project at Assurant’s specialty property call center campus in Springfield, just outside of Dayton.

“The installation process allowed us to learn about the industry,” Schwartz says. “It became clear to us how important solar insurance could be in helping lending institutions get comfortable about the long-term viability of a project. We learned how difficult it can be to get a solar project deal to completion, how important solar insurance can be to securing a project’s cash flows and why that can be critical to investors and lending institutions.”

The 1.76-MW project consists of 6,200 panels on the site’s rooftop and 15 new solar carports in the parking area. Assurant worked through a PPA offered by Tangent Energy Solutions who, in turn, hired Third Sun for the project.

“For a complex project such as this where we were closing areas of our parking lot down on a weekly basis for the construction of the carports, Third Sun was very cooperative with working around our needs and ensuring that the site remained in a safe condition at all times for our employees,” Schwartz says. “Safety is a top priority for Assurant, and Third Sun has supported and embraced this culture during the project.”

ENCOURAGING PROJECTS
Third Sun has grown from doing very small, mostly off-grid residential systems to a wide range of commercial jobs in different market segments — nonprofits, hospitals, corporations, parks. Kelly says business has been steady in the commercial sector, but finding residential projects is a struggle in the Midwest, where energy prices are already low.

“The low cost of energy in Ohio works against solar,” he says. “Most investor-owned utilities in Ohio generate most of their power from burning coal. When you have low utility rates, when brown power is cheap, solar and renewables are obviously a much tougher sell. The payback is longer, the return on investments is further out, it’s tougher to cost-justify projects.”

The large majority of residential projects Third Sun takes on has been for customers who are very dedicated to being green and understand the initial poor financial return. But Kelly is hopeful that this trend will change for the better.
“Looking into the future, natural gas is going to be a huge factor in this part of the country. That will put pressure on utility rates, and we think that will help make the financial case for solar more appealing,” he says. “As we begin to see the combination of upward pressure on utility rates and downward pressure on system components prices, as we’ve seen with solar panels, then the financial picture overall will make it an easier case [for residential solar installations].”

In the meantime, Third Sun is actively looking for opportunities to bid on jobs.

“We try to emphasize wherever we can with potential big jobs and customers [that] with something like solar, when you’re putting an electrical power plant on your roof or parking lot, the low price isn’t necessarily the best value,” Kelly says. “Sometimes we do have the low price, but we want to build good, highly productive systems that exceed our forecast for electrical production. Part of that battle is getting customers to understand that the low price isn’t always the best value.”

PROGRESS IS NOW
With nearly 15 years of experience, those at Third Sun have seen different products come and go in the industry but they’re pleased with how things are progressing.

“We’re finding improvement in quality and cost,” Kelly says. “We’ve been kind of conservative in terms of jumping on new technologies. We don’t want to be on the bleeding edge. The market for panels has become much more competitive and so the price and cost for panels have gone down dramatically. We’ve seen improvements across the board in some of the BOS components, like inverters. We see now many more opportunities as a company.”

The future looks promising as young minds continue to evolve into a greener way of thinking.

“Think about this millennial generation,” Kelly says. “Your next generation of employees and your next generation of customers are people who have come up from kindergarten on, taught that the earth must be saved and it’s your job to do it, and the answer to every question is technology. I think those things are baked into the emerging generation much more so than 10 years before. I think the world in that way is ready for solar.”

-- Solar Builder magazine

By James Tong

Ask solar installers about their profession, and you’ll get a lot of passion and pride. Ask them about solar permitting, and you’ll get a lot of passion… and maybe some four-letter words. The permitting and interconnection process can be horribly complex — varying from one Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) to the next and creating unnecessary and costly roadblocks for installers. Imagine playing for the NFL when each stadium had different rules regarding first downs, offsides, holding, etc., and then getting penalized each time you missed a rule variation, which (you learn after the game has started) can also vary depending on the referee. This is the playing field that solar PV installers face.

A recent nationwide survey of 273 installers, conducted by Clean Power Finance, supports this. The survey, the largest of its kind, found that:

• More than 1 in 3 installers avoid an average of 3.5 jurisdictions because of associated permitting difficulties.
• 23 percent of installations saw permitting costs exceed original expectations.
• 13 percent of installations had agency requirements change during the job.
• 1 in 9 installations encountered jurisdictions that had not even set requirements.

In other words, government bureaucracy is holding back solar. Installers frequently report having to educate AHJs on their own rules or discovering an obscure requirement (such as a need for a glare study) after driving miles to submit a permitting packet that took hours to complete. The confusion breeds frustration and adds costs, which are mostly absorbed by end consumers and installers. Independent studies have calculated that permitting adds $0.22 per watt to a system, or even $0.50 per watt if you factor in other associated cost like lost sales or referrals, wasted labor time and unnecessary rework.

The ideal solution would be to have all AHJs adopt the same standards, much like how in every city green, yellow and red traffic lights all mean the same thing.

Unfortunately, most jurisdictions are not even aware that solar permitting is a problem, much less understand how they can make things easier. The surge in solar installations is a relatively new phenomenon, and the policies and processes of AHJs have lagged behind. And despite dramatically increasing numbers of solar installations, residential solar remains a relatively small portion of the energy mix: In a nation with 130 million households and more than 18,000 AHJs, there are fewer than 300,000 residential solar systems across the country. For most AHJs, solar is not even a blip on the radar.

A New Hope
There is hope for the frustrated solar installer who lacks the resources to take on the local AHJs alone, who has to endlessly update internal records about various permitting rules and who has to avoid Jeff at the building department because he finds it much easier to work with Suzie. With support from a $3 million grant from the Department of Energy’s SunShot Initiative, Clean Power Finance is building the National Solar Permitting Database (NSPD) that will help installers reduce the time and costs spent on solar permitting and interconnection.

The free community-based tool compiles permitting requirements and recommendations from solar professionals and AHJs across the United States in one single online location. The database will operate similarly to the website Wikipedia. But instead of finding answers for trivia night at the local bar, users will be able to search the NSPD to find important tips and information about AHJ requirements before starting a project. Users will also be able to add or update information and get automatic notifications when a new rule is applied, thus avoiding costly last-minute surprises.

Simplifying Solar Permitting, Together
But the NSPD will be more than just a go-to source for solar permitting needs. It will be a collective voice of the solar community — a vehicle for change. Currently, each solar company must maintain its own permitting information and take on any stubborn AHJ by itself. Thousands of solar businesses throughout the nation replicate this same painful permitting work over and over again. By enabling installers to share their insights and knowledge, the NSPD will reduce everyone’s workload and headaches. Moreover, by providing information such as which AHJs have easy processes, which AHJs have excessive fees or which AHJs simply don’t understand solar, the solar industry and policymakers can then pinpoint which cities need help and what exactly can be improved (e.g., the length of the permitting application, the wait times for inspections, etc.). The NSPD will provide actionable data to support improvements and unite individual voices into a cohesive call for change. Cities are more likely to change their policies when they know enough people demand change, they can identify what exactly they should change and they can borrow proven practices from other cities. The NSPD facilitates all of this.

A beta prototype of the NSPD can be found on www.solarpermit.org. Clean Power Finance is currently incorporating feedback from its beta testers and will launch the redesign before summer 2013.

Ultimately, the impact of the NSPD will depend on the solar community’s involvement. The more information solar installers, solar advocates and solar-friendly cities contribute to the database, the faster the country can drive toward standardization of permitting requirements and lower the cost of solar. Ideally, solar permitting would be so simple someday that the NSPD will no longer be necessary.

James Tong is senior director at Clean Power Finance. For updates on the NSPD or to provide feedback on its development, e-mail permitting@cleanpowerfinance.com.

-- Solar Builder magazine