Metal roofing is the ideal platform for direct-attach solar installations.
Australia’s abundance of metal rooftops, coupled with a growing demand for premium solar components and installations, creates an ideal environment for the widespread adoption of direct-attach mounting systems.
S-5! is confident in this potential and is actively collaborating with installers and engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractors to increase awareness of the benefits of rail-less solar fixings, allowing for faster and less complicated installations.
For solar installers, challenges come in the form of resisting environmental loads, new load distribution and waterproofing that last the life of the solar – without compromising the integrity of the roof.
S-5! is poised to revolutionise the traditional rail approach with its PVKIT® engineered systems, which eliminate rails, reduce collateral loads, redistribute live loads, and offer faster installation and lifetime service without penetrating a concealed-fix roof, marking a significant shift in the industry.
“When we initially entered the Australian market, we found that the modules supplied were often subpar and accompanied by poorly engineered and tested mounting systems, leading to a decline in quality across the board,” S-5! Vice President of Research and Development, Dustin Haddock, said.
“It seemed to be a race to the bottom; however, it quickly became evident that others in the Australian solar market were also noticing quality issues and beginning to take proactive measures.
“We began engaging with others like the Smart Energy Council and Solar Cutters who were committed to elevating industry standards. We connected face-to-face with EPCs and worked alongside those genuinely dedicated to driving change and improving solar quality in Australia.”
S-5! has a proven global portfolio of more than 7GW of metal-roof solar arrays, including high-profile installations like the striking Apple World HQ and the Googleplex in the US state of California, five Costco stores in Australia, and the Crown Towers Resort in Sydney.
S-5! clamps and brackets, first pioneered in 1991, can be attached directly to the metal roof and the solar module – circumventing the need for rails and obviating the need to find structural battens below for attachment. This makes module layout much more flexible.
Mr. Haddock is leading S-5!’s efforts throughout Australia and the surrounding the region, and has been working with a team of installers in New Zealand to familiarise them with the rail-free approach.
“We found many contractors who were new to direct-attach and who were very skilled in rail set-ups,” Mr Haddock said.
“Installers who had never used our products before were installing much more quickly: four modules installed with direct-attach in the same time it took them previously to do just one module using rails.
“We spent two hours with the team, laying down modules and explaining the best ways to fix the modules. The first day, the team installed 54 modules in three hours ‘all-in’ with a two-man team, and the second day, 60 modules in two hours – that’s one module every two minutes.
“At the end of the job, they were down to 80 seconds per module and figured at least a 20 per cent cost savings on mounting hardgoods to boot. They said they never want to use rails again.”
For more information, visit S-5.com.au
Featured image: S-5! Fixing on the Vaisala Office Headquarters in Colorado. Image: S-5!