Pv Panels Roof Loading

Roof and wind loading the installation of solar pv panels on the roof on a house needs to comply with building regulations including part a on structural safety.

Pv panels roof loading.

The weight load of the pv system is vital to determine if your rooftop has adequate structural support for pv panels. The euractive roofer project undertook numerous wind tunnel tests using scale models of roofs with panels as well as testing theoretical calculations that can in time form the basis of a european standard. The weight is within the acceptable limits of any roof. These requirements only went into effect in the 2015 edition.

This is a problem because although permitting agencies require assessments of the structural attachment of solar equipment to rooftops the safety and sufficiency of these attachments are not adequately addressed in any codes or standards. Wind speed the height of the panel above the roof and the relative location of the panel on the roof. Photovoltaic panels are becoming ever more numerous as prices drop but they can be a heavy burden on your roof if not carefully installed says peter caplehorn. Both the mounting equipment and the solar panels weigh 2 4 lbs per square foot which is equivalent to 10 20 kg per square meter on average.

The number of installations has fallen dramatically since the recent cuts in the feed in tariff as everyone tried to beat the deadline but as the cost of pv has fallen by up to 30 over the past year and will. Wind loading on solar panels depends on three basic factors. If the loading to the roof is increased by 15 per cent or more this is a material alteration and formal building regulation approval is required.