Solar Panel Roof Mounts
Tick Tock Energy offers affordable and electric bill cost-saving solar panel roof mounts. Our expert solar consultants carefully customize solar solutions that work best for your rooftop while while addressing energy performance, financial optimization, structural and building code issues. We have many solar panel mounting options to suit what is best for your commercial property in Illinois or nearby states in the Midwest.
Common Commercial Roof Types for Solar
Solar roof mounting can be unique, and various roof types require a specific type of installation. Tick Tock Energy has installed solar systems on all types of roofs, ensuring that your facility can benefit from solar regardless of your roof.
Flat Membrane Roofs
Large commercial buildings with expansive, low-pitch and nearly flat roofs typically have TPO, PVC, or EPDM type roofs. Older pre-1975 buildings may still have a modified bitumen roof or membrane with rock ballasting.
Standing Seam Metal Roofs
Standing seam metal roofs feature raised seams that run vertically along the roof, creating a sleek, modern appearance. Solar panels can be easily attached to these seams without the need for drilling, making it an ideal surface for solar installation with minimal impact on the roof’s integrity.
Corrugated Metal Roofs
Corrugated metal roofs are characterized by their wavy, ridged panels, often used in industrial or agricultural buildings. Installing solar panels on this type of roof requires specialized mounting systems that attach securely to the ridges, providing a stable and durable solution for energy production.
Shingle Roofs for Small Commercial
Shingle roofs are common on smaller medical clinics, nursing homes, apartment buildings, and small office buildings. Shingle roofing is typically made of asphalt or composite materials. The foundation of the solar rack mounting systems is designed to integrate seamlessly with the shingles to ensure both long-term durability, weather resistance, and water-proof seal.
Commerical Roof-Mounted Solar System Top Technical Considerations
Tick Tock Energy has applied solar on all type of commercial building roof types and have encountered many situations requiring unique solutions. A commercial roof-mounted solar panel system requires careful planning and consideration of the existing building structure, existing roof, and proposed solar system. Roofs are critical to the function of a building and adding solar should not be left to an inexperienced solar contractor.
Most large commercial buildings such as warehouses, manufacturing facilities, and retail buildings have roof slopes of 2 to 5 degrees and often referred to as “flat” roofs. In low-slope, or “flat” roof applications solar panels are often mounted flush (no tilt) up to 10 degree slope depending on the roof and racking system used. In some cases tilt angles up to 20 degrees may be possible where the structure and roof can accommodate.
Top technical considerations when mounting solar panels on commercial roofs include:
What is the Best Orientation for Roof-Mounted Solar Panels?
When in the northern hemisphere, it’s ideal to mount panels south-facing for best energy production. With low-tilt racking, facing east or west may result in around 4 to 6% lower energy production. The best approach is applying a racking system that adapts the most efficiently to your roof while optimizing energy performance and installation cost. It pays to work with a solar contractor such as Tick Tock Energy that has extensive experience with a variety of commercial roofs.
Structural Engineering Considerations
The foremost important factors is confirming the existing building structure and roof can support a new solar array. Tick Tock Energy will engage our structural engineering consultants early on in the planning and design process. Performing structural engineering analysis early can avoid project design revisions and delays later. Structural engineers will consider dead or gravity loads, wind and earthquake loads and how solar panels will work with an existing building.
Reinforcing Structures or Adjusting the Solar Rack Choice and Design
Tick Tock Energy has encountered many situations where existing building structures could not support the proposed solar design. This doesn’t mean solar won’t work but may require creative design solutions. Reinforcing a building structure may be required. In some cases when not invasive this can be done cost-effectively. If structure reinforcing is not feasible, selecting lighter-weight solar panels and racking combinations may or shrinking the solar array may be the answer. Tick Tock Energy has developed many creative solutions for challenging situations.
Access Around Your Solar Array
Adding solar to an existing commercial building will need to be building code compliant. Providing a setback from each roof edge or limiting overall roof coverage by solar panels allows fire safety personnel to access your rooftop. While this reduces the available area for solar and can result in a smaller array, it is an essential part of keeping all people and property safe.
Roof Replacement Considerations
Solar panels today carry a 25 up to 30 year power warranty where there output at end of warranty is 80% up to 85% of year 1 production. With proper care and maintenance panels should last 35+ years and longer. Given the long-life of a solar investment, its ideal to mount on newer roofs or upgrade older roofs along with solar. Often metal roofs have many years of life left and will work fine by adding solar panels. An inspection by a commercial roofing expert may be warranted in the planning stages and something Tick Tock Energy can facilitate.
Future Solar Panel Remove-and-Replace Scenario
If your flat roof is greater than 10 years old and midlife, or metal roof 20 years or older, the likely best approach is mount solar on the existing roof and plan for a future remove and replace 10, 15 or 20 years in the future. The distant cost of a “remove-and-replace” is something you can easily use solar savings to help pay for in the distant future. Using the excuse to not install solar today can be a costly mistake by missing out on years of lost energy savings and lucrative solar incentives that are available today and may not be around in the future.
Combining Solar with a New Energy-Efficient Roof
It may be a great time to upgrade a steel or membrane roof to a more energy-efficient roof. Most new membrane roofs are white and highly reflective. Often old metal roofs start to leak from repeated thermal expansion and contraction, lost fasteners, or other deficiencies. Older membrane roofs such as bitumen may be dark and heat absorbant, poorly insulated and more.
Regardless, upgrading your roof to a new energy-efficient roof with thicker insulation and a white reflective membrane PLUS a new solar array can provide a tremendous impact to your operation. Planning is important and having Tick Tock Energy involved early in the process can help you select the right roof and solar solution. We have experience in this area where many solar contractor do not.
A New Energy-Efficient Roof and Solar Can Capture More Energy & Solar Incentives
A new energy-efficient roof can qualify for federal energy-efficiency incentives which Tick Tock Energy can help you obtain. A white reflective membrane roof can help boost performance of bifacial solar panels as well. This situation may potentially qualify the roof upgrade for the federal solar tax credit as well when the correct solar racking system is used.
How Tick Tock Energy Installs Roof Mounted Solar Systems
Tick Tock Energy can help you install a cost-effective, reliable power generating system for your commercial building. In four simple steps, we securely mount your solar panel system:
1. Develop Your Solution
Our experts consider your available roof space, type, orientation, setback considerations, and more to develop an initial solar solution for your facility. We present installation budget and detailed financial analysis.
2. Planning and Engineering
Once our initial plan is fine-tuned, we will engage structural engineering experts to determine if the building can support the proposed solar array. We may work the owner’s roofing contractors or one we introduce to plan a new roof upgrade if opportunity exists. After this phase of due diligence we deliver a tailored plan for your building that is ready to implement.
3. Turnkey Installation
With a properly planned system, we provide full support to manage solar incentives, complete permit-ready engineering documents, and provide materials, installation labor, electrical interconnection work, and all other services get your system up and running.
4. Monitoring & Service
After your system is successfully installed and approved for interconnection, we energize the array, activate the on-line monitoring of the system and can provide comprehensive operations & maintenance (O&M) service plan. From start to finish and long-term life cycle support we provide it all.
5. Custom Financing Options
Tick Tock offers flexible financing options to help make your solution affordable without a capital outlay. We help you get the most out of your commercial solar investment, and can customize a financing plan with one of our solar loan or lease partners.
Ready to Turn Sunshine to Cash Savings?
Get Your Free Solar Quote Today
Tick Tock Energy is ready to help you decrease your facilitiy’s electricity bill, capture lucrative solar incentives, and potentially facilitate a new energy-efficient roof solution too. To discuss your power needs with an expert, request a free quote today.
See Our Commercial Roof-Mounted Solar Work
Tick Tock has helped savvy commercial facility owners in Illinois and adjacent states to enhance the value of their property, reduce electric costs, and capture large solar incentives with solar power systems optimized for their facility Explore our recent installations below.
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