This homeowner installed a solar array nearly 10 years ago. Their electric usage increased, as it often does, and they wanted to maximize their power production ability.
But even after filling the remaining sunny south, east, and west roof faces, the home needed even more modules to cover electric usage.
Typically, solar modules are mounted parallel to the roof surface. This is less complex to engineer and less expensive to install. At our latitude (roughly 46 degrees north), mounting on a north-facing roof doesn’t make sense unless tilt-ups are used.
Tilt-up racking is exactly what it sounds like: rather than mounting parallel to the roof surface, a small supporting structure that looks like mini-ground mount racking is attached to the roof at a slight to moderate south-facing orientation. This aligns the module toward the sun, even if the roof is facing away.
Tilt-ups also clearly show the flashings used to seal roof penetrations. All Sungineer Solar roof-mounted systems come with a 10-year roof-leak warranty, but the very best warranty is the one you’ll never use. Installed properly, flashings should never result in a roof leak. Let’s take a close-up look:
With the extra 7 north-but-south facing modules, this system will produce enough electricity to cover the homeowners’ usage in a year.
When asked about their project experience, the homeowner said:
Project went very smoothly and efficiently. They took care of all of the paperwork, rebates and monitoring system. I love being able to check on how the system is performing on line. They answered all of my questions, are very pleasant to work with, followed up even when some issues went a little beyond the scope of the work. Also, they were very careful around our garden.
DW, homeowner
As gardeners ourselves, we have our priorities in order!
