CLEVELAND – Roll-A-Rack, a Cleveland company that develops alternative racking systems for solar panels, has developed an innovative new product that allows solar panels to be installed on ballasted membrane roofs without compromising the structural design of the roof.
Ballasted membrane roofs relay on evenly distributed weight for their structural support, but the design often leaves little room for additional load, such as solar panels. The added weight of solar can easily surpass a roof’s physical limit.
Roll-A-Rack, however, has developed an ingenious 12-inch metal channel rack that evenly distributes existing roof ballast, while also securing solar panels. The roof ballast, along with the weight of the solar panels, properly secure the roof without adding weight and compromising its integrity.
“Roll-A-Rack makes solar feasible for nearly all ballasted membrane roofs without adding any additional deadload,” said Don Scipione, company founder. “Our system enables the weight of the solar panels and the racking system to become part of the ballast that secures the roof.
The Roll-A-Rack membrane roof solution is described in a technical poster: “Solar Racking for Ballasted Membrane Roofs” at Solar Power International Smart Energy Week Digital Poster Program, September 28-29, 2021.
Roll-A-Rack is seeking developers and solar installers to help commercialize the installation processes.
