Solar Panels On Clay Tile Roofs

Roofing tiles are brittle.

Solar panels on clay tile roofs. Roof tiles made of clay or concrete are strong when it comes to holding up to wind and rain but they are brittle. The solé power tile system is the first building integrated photovoltaic roofing product designed to blend in with curved roof tiles commonly found in the pacific west and southwest of the united. Some companies may tell you that you can t go solar or that they won t do the install but that is not the case. Spanish tile is usually made of either clay or concrete.

The popular strip and go installation method has installers remove tile from the roof and replace it with asphalt shingles. This is a problem for workers who have to climb on your roof to install solar panels and the racking that holds them in place. Yes but the potential for serious costly damage is very high. Simply stepping on a clay tile can fracture it.

Is it possible to install solar panels on your tile roof yourself. Installing a solar pv system on a clay tile roof generally is far more expensive than installing on a concrete tile roof. Clay tile roofs traditional spanish tile roofs are made from clay tiles this can be a pricey material to install solar panels on given the extra labor required. This technique involves removing all the clay tiles under the area where your solar panels will go installing composite shingle in this area then plopping in traditional solar roof mounts rails and panels in that location.

Many homeowners who have spanish tile roofs believe the tiles are made of clay when in fact they are made of concrete. Solar for tile roofs where material matters. While your tile roof is very durable against the elements it is not weight proof. Some solar installers like to use a technique called a comp out to more easily install solar on clay tile roofs.

Solar is installed using typical flashing and attachment methods and then the tile is reinstalled around the perimeter or the array so that it has the look of an array on a tile roof.