Roof integrated solar panels are in my opinion the future of roof-top solar industry. Solar roofing is basically an integration for the Roof System with Solar Panels.

Solar roofing allows to solve some of the major problems that haunt the roof-top solar installations such as roof leaks, attachment of solar panels, snow load management and wind blow-off, which can simply lift the solar panels and blow them off the roof.

Solar Metal Roofing video:

Benefits of Solar Roofing

Most solar integrators hate roofing, and roofers are too afraid to touch solar panels, due to their high cost and relatively fragile design. Integrating solar panels with roofing materials, allows to eliminate roof penetrations which are usually required to hold down the rack mounting hardware which hosts the solar panels. The roofing system is usually designed to withstand the winds in the given climate, while a solar system needs to be properly attached to the roof as it is more exposed to winds, and prone to blow-offs. When you integrate solar panels with the roof, this eliminates two weak spots – potential roof leaks due to roof penetrations and wind uplift, as solar panels now lay flat with the roofing system.

Most widely used roof-integrated solar panel today is a Uni-Solar thin film PV laminate, which is just 3/16 inch thick and adheres to either standing seam metal roofing or a flat roofing membrane. Besides the two roof systems above, many specialty roof manufacturers created ways to integrate Uni-Solar PV panels with other roofing materials such as simulated synthetic tiles, which work directly with with existing clay tile roofs, concrete tiles, etc.

Another major benefit of solar roofing is the reduced total installation cost. The price of solar roofing system now excludes all the mounting hardware, which usually costs about $1 per watt. Additionally a Solar Roof will “wholly” qualify for the 30 percent renewable energy Federal Tax Credit – not just the Solar System part. This will further reduce the total cost of solar system.

Also the roofing materials used in solar roofing are of a much higher quality than conventional roofing materials – especially in residential solar, where asphalt shingles are the dominant material used on roof tops across US and Canada. Residential solar roofing usually consists of a steel standing seam metal roof, that easily lasts 40-50+ years. This eliminates the need to replace the asphalt shingles roof 15-20 years down the road, which would require complete removal of the solar panels and then installing them back. Such removal and re-installation of the solar system will require the services of the solar integrator, which will cost the home owner at least $2.50 – $3.00 per watt, before any inflation that may happen in 20 years.

Solar Flat Roofing:

Solar panels on flat roofs are even more prone to roof leaks than those on steep roofs due to roof design where water either slowly runs to the drain or just simply sits on the roof. Every roof penetration of a mounting rack that holds houses the solar panels, will probably leak at some point. That’s why light-weight thin-film solar panels integrated into the flat roof just make sense, as compared to traditional solar systems. The PVC flat roof solar systems such as IB SolarWise are an excellent example of integration of a flat roofing membrane with Uni-Solar thin-film PV laminates.

Despite the great design of solar PV flat roofs, there are certain limitations involved. First of all, solar flat roofs work best in the southern states, where sun sits higher in the sky and there is no snow load in the winter. Not only snow blocks the solar panels from sun-light, virtually eliminating all solar electricity production until snow either melts away or is cleaned off the roof, in the norther states like NH, Maine, Vermont, Montana, etc., (near Canadian border), the snow may sit on the roof 9-12 month out of the year, so using solar flat roof there is useless. Solar panels on the flat roof located in the snow country my also get damaged if snow removal in necessary. When a massive snow storm hits and snow load exceeds the specifications of the roof construction, special roofing crews that are on standby for 6 months out of the year will come in to remove the snow, in order to prevent roof from collapsing. These crews may easily damage the solar panels or cut off the contacts.

Aside from limitation of the north, the Solar Flat Roof is excellent choice for homeowners and businesses in the sun-belt to go green and generate clean, renewable energy, while reducing the load on their HVAC equipment, ac cool roof will reflect up to 90 percent of solar heat. Solar flat roofs are very easy to maintain, and can be cleaned by simply washing them. There are virtually no roof penetrations for solar mounting racks, as solar panels are attached to the roofing membrane. The wast free space of an average flat roof allows to install massive solar arrays on warehouse building, shopping centers, production facilities, etc.

The overall cost of solar roofing systems is considerably less than if you were to install a roof and a solar system separately. Thin-film solar panel prices are comparable to the price of crystalline silicon solar panels, and elimination of extra system components as well as simplified installation will reduce per watt cost by as much as $2-3, making solar roofing the most cost efficient solar system.

As we are constantly working on improving our solar price calculator, we will soon be introducing Solar Roof Calculator which will estimate the cost of different roofing systems, such as standing seam metal roof, and flat roof systems, and calculate roof replacement cost for the based on roof area and solar system size. In the mean time you can use the Roof Calculator to estimate roof replacement cost. Check back soon – we plan to roll out the Solar Roof Price Calculator soon, as well as more helpful tools to estimate solar prices.