The most cost-effective place to install solar — thermal systems, pool systems or PV — is on a home’s rooftop. Whether it’s on an existing home or new construction, it’s critical to make sure that the equipment is installed securely (so it won’t blow away in high winds), and that the roof mounts will not cause any leaks. Unfortunately, these two goals are not easy to achieve over the 25+ year lifespan of common rooftop materials — including composition shingles, tiles, wood shakes, metal and rolled-out roofing.
Our industry has adopted a number of best practices to maximize the durability of roof penetrations, including attachments to rafters, flashings, stainless steel and aluminum components, and fasteners that are designed for hot/wet/cold roof conditions. But these best practices are not always followed, resulting in roof leaks and potential hazards from loosened solar panels.
If these roof leaks happen, it’s usually a roofer who is called in to repair the damage. Long-time roofers have seen just about everything. Perhaps more importantly, they have good advice for the solar industry into ways to attach solar panels on various roof types properly. My guest on this week’s Energy Show on Renewable Energy World is Tom Sparling, general manager of Cal-Pac roofing. Tom has been working with residential roofs and solar for 25+ years. Please join me as Tom “tells it like it is” on the rooftop, and opines on the best ways to install rooftop solar panels safely and securely.
Find more episodes of The Energy Show here.
About The Energy Show
As energy costs consume more and more of our hard-earned dollars, we as consumers really start to pay attention. But we don’t have to resign ourselves to $5/gallon gas prices, $200/month electric bills and $500 heating bills. There are literally hundreds of products, tricks and techniques that we can use to dramatically reduce these costs — very affordably.
The Energy Show on Renewable Energy World is a weekly 20-minute podcast that provides tips and advice to reduce your home and business energy consumption. Every week we’ll cover topics that will help cut your energy bill, explain new products and technologies in plain English, and cut through the hype so that you can make smart and cost-effective energy choices.
About Your Host
Barry Cinnamon is a long-time advocate of renewable energy and is a widely recognized solar power expert. In 2001 he founded Akeena Solar — which grew to become the largest national residential solar installer by the middle of the last decade with over 10,000 rooftop customers coast to coast. He partnered with Westinghouse to create Westinghouse Solar in 2010, and sold the company in 2012.
His pioneering work on reducing costs of rooftop solar power systems include Andalay, the first solar panel with integrated racking, grounding and wiring; the first UL listed AC solar panel; and the first fully “plug and play” AC solar panel. His current efforts are focused on reducing the soft costs for solar power systems, which cause system prices in the U.S. to be double those of Germany.
Although Barry may be known for his outspoken work in the solar industry, he has hands-on experience with a wide range of energy saving technologies. He’s been doing residential energy audits since the punch card days, developed one of the first ground-source heat pumps in the early ‘80s, and always abides by the Laws of Thermodynamics.
Lead image: Green microphone via Shutterstock
