PV Installations: Solar Panel Mounting Systems
A stockpile of solar panels quickly becomes ineffectual without having a proper mounting system for the roof.
And as you might imagine, there is no one-size-fits-all for mounting systems. Nor do manufacturers stand in the same lineup with the same kind of products. And there are many, many choices.
Quick Mount PV recently announced US solar manufacturer SolarWorld was following an industry trend away from the use of long rails in mounting solar panels and shifting emphasis toward a rail-free racking system. The rationale? The latter’s cost savings in materials, labor, storage, and shipping.
Rail-free racking fixes solar panels directly to individual roof mounts, instead of standard long rails.
“Rail-free residential racking fits well into SolarWorld’s portfolio of the best solar products on the market,” said Ardes Johnson, U.S. vice president of sales and marketing for SolarWorld, in a press announcement.
Having stated this, SolarWorld announced an alliance with Quick Mount PV, a California manufacturer of a patented Quick Rack rail-free system.
The list of mounting manufacturers does not stop here. Renusol America, a manufacturer of flat-roof and pitched-roof mounting systems, reports it has experienced exponential growth since its launch and is now among the top rooftop mounting solution providers in the US, having systems installed in 34 states.
Renusol’s pitched roof and flat roof mounting systems have been engineered to adjust to a variety of solar panels using interchangeable parts. The Atlanta-based company states its pitched roof mounting systems install quickly with minimal parts. Both systems feature preassembled, snap-on parts and “one-size-fits-all” clamps.
German-based Renusol GmbH is among the fastest growing businesses on the European market for PV mounting systems. Renusol America was established in January 2011 in Atlanta to service the American market and, along with Renusol GmbH, was acquired by Ohio-based RBI Solar in June, 2014.
RBI Solar is now a turn-key supplier of solar mounting systems, specializing in ground mount, roof mount, landfill solar, and custom designed specialty solar structures.
This February, Renusol GmbH is introducing a new ballasted flat-roof mounting system for mounting south-facing photovoltaic panels. The commercial and agricultural building system requires few components and uses especially short rails.
“Renusol is increasingly emphasizing simple mounting systems that can be installed very quickly and comfortably at the construction site,” said Sven Kuenzel, managing director of Renusol. “For example, our product developers have opted for an innovative screw joint that works without a nut, meaning that fewer movements are needed. Since the rails are delivered pre-punched, there is also no need to take cumbersome measurements on site, which decreases installation errors.”
SolarWorld also offers a wide variety of panel mounting options, including its new EcoX, a rail-less racking system that offers a clean aesthetic, simplified logistics, and “delivers a higher quality installation at a lower-cost-per-watt.”
The list of solar panel mounting options is long and has far more manufacturers than we can name in this article. Should you wish to know more, here is Solar Power World’s 2014 list of the tops solar mounting products. One thing you can know for certain in this wide world of mounting options: expect more in the way of innovations and competitive pricing.
Images via Quick Mount PV and Renusol America
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