Page 18 - North American Clean Energy March April 2016

A highly secure safety system
Greeneye Smart PV Switch
• Failsafe safety system
• Individual shutdown feature per PV module
• Protection for re ghters or PV installers and electricians
ep.mersen.com Ferraz Shawmut is Mersen
solar energy
Solar panel arrays are installed everywhere these days – ground mounted, ush mounted on slope roofs, elevated to catch as much energy as possible, as awnings, as parking covers, etc. New ideas come up every day. People and entities are searching for ways to go as green as possible or simply to save money on power.
Finding creative ways to get more solar rays sometimes results in obstacles to overcome. Sometimes thinking outside of the box is critical. Sometimes thinking ON TOP of the box is the answer. Such was the case on
a business in Watham, Massachusetts.
The problem
e owners wanted to install solar panels on their single story o ce building but the small roof was a very odd con guration. e at, membrane roof was only 22.5ft wide, rising on one long side into a 2/12" 50ft roof. Ground snow load was
50psf and wind speed was 127mph with Exposure Category B. e owners desired solar arrays on both the at and the sloped roof using ballast to anchor the panels and utilize all possible space. ey also wanted to install an awning system on the side of the building. Unfortunately they couldn’t nd a system which would work for their unique situation.
The solution
A standard ballasted system would not work due to the space requires and the weight of the system. A solution was needed to get more solar panels on the small roof-top, and not add too much weight in the constricted space.
e process of designing the lay-out began. Engineers at the solar mounting company and the solar installation company worked over several weeks and through ve di erent con gurations and con gurations of ballasted mounting systems to achieve the desired KW goal. But they had to think outside the standard box to nd a solution.
18 MARCH/APRIL 2016
nacleanenergy.com
Solar Panel Installers
Thinking “on top” of the box
by Laurie Anderson & Gary Heslington