Solar Panels on industrial roofs
Large warehouse and factory roofs can provide a large space for commercial solar installations.
However, before businesses start looking at panels, inverters, and projected energy generation, they need to answer an important question:
Is your roof solar-ready?
Having to install a solar system onto a roof with issues such as leaking, corrosion, aging rooflights or a short remaining service life will make any future roofing work significantly more complex.
Having a roof inspected before you buy can identify those issues before there’s time to repair them.
What Birmingham businesses need to know before installing solar panels on an industrial or commercial roof.
Start With The Condition of the Present Roof
The first question shouldn’t be how many solar panels can fit on the building.
It should be, in the condition the roof is today.
From ground level, an industrial roof might appear in good order but may hide defects that require attention. These may be corrosion, degraded coatings, aging seals, broken sheets, failing fixings or previous temporary repairs.
Once a large solar array is in place, accessing parts of the roof can be more challenging.
That is why it is useful to assess the roof before installation and, if necessary, to carry out necessary repairs or refurbishment beforehand.
Industry guidance on commercial solar preparation likewise stresses the importance of looking at the remaining life of the existing roof before signing up for a long-term rooftop solar installation.
What Is the Roof’s Remaining Service Life?
Solar panels are built to last for decades.
So the roof below them must be regarded over an equally long period.
Imagine putting on a new solar array and then finding out a few years later that the roof under it needs a lot of fixing. Access to the roof may require additional planning and coordination with the solar system.
This doesn’t mean you can never put solar panels on an older industrial roof.
This means its condition must be understood first.
Preparation could include specific repairs, replacement fixes, cut edge corrosion treatment, coating or refinishing, over-cladding or more significant re-roofing, depending on the findings of a survey.
Industrial Roofing Birmingham already provides all of these types of industrial roofing services, meaning the solar preparation page can act as a main commercial destination for readers of this article.
Check for Prior Roof Leaks Before Installing
Panels can be installed above or around an unexplained leak, but the leak must be investigated first.
There are many different defects that can cause water ingress on industrial roofs, and the spot of water ingress inside the building may not be the original entry point.
A thorough leak investigation will help identify the root problem so you can make repairs before the solar system makes access difficult.
Look out for staining, recurring dampness, dripping after rain or previous repairs that have never quite solved the problem.
Adding new equipment on top of an existing roof defect does not eliminate the defect.
First solve the roofing problem.
Inspect Metal Industrial Roofs for Corrosion
Metal roofing and cladding systems are common in many industrial and warehouse buildings.
Developing corrosion should be evaluated prior to solar work.
Untreated cut-edge corrosion, degrading sheet coatings, and corrosion around other roof components may continue to progress under or around a solar installation.
The right approach will depend on the severity and overall condition of the roof.
Some buildings may only require spot treatment. Others may be better off with a wider refurbishment program before going for solar installation.
Getting the prep work done beforehand can provide a much cleaner starting point for the solar project.
Evaluate the Strength of the Structure to Support the Proposed System
The state of the roof and the structural capacity are related but separate issues.
A roof covering can look perfectly serviceable, but the proposed solar installation still requires proper structural consideration.
The solar panels, mounting equipment and associated components add to the loads and the specific mounting arrangement will depend on the roof and solar design.
Structural suitability, therefore, needs to be considered by appropriate competent professionals as part of project planning.
Solar-system design should be based on the building assessment rather than simply assuming an apparently large, empty roof is an automatic fit.
Solar layout consideration – skylights
Rooflights are common in industrial buildings to let daylight into warehouses, manufacturing spaces and other large premises.
Those rooflights require careful consideration in solar planning.
Their condition matters, but so does future availability.
If aging rooflights are likely to need repair or replacement in the relatively near future, it can be wise to undertake that work before panels enclose them.
Industrial Roofing Birmingham offers rooflight repairs and rooflight replacement so these services would make good internal links from this section.
The rooflights also require special attention from a safety perspective.
The HSE identifies fragile rooflights as a serious hazard in work at height and advise that roofs should be considered fragile until a competent person has confirmed otherwise.
Solar planning must therefore consider not just where panels will go, but also how people will safely access and maintain the roof in the future.
Make sure gutters and drainage are still accessible for maintenance
Solar panels do not eliminate the need to maintain the roof beneath them.
The gutters still need cleaning. Outlets still to be checked. Leaks may still require investigations. Rooflights may still require some maintenance.
Thus, the solar layout should be considered alongside the practical requirements of future roof maintenance.
It’s a good time to clean the existing gutter system, check outlets and downpipes and fix any known drainage problems before installation.
Blocked or poorly functioning rainwater systems are an unnecessary problem to bring into a major roof-mounted solar project.
This part of the article can be linked naturally from the following: “Industrial Roofing Birmingham offers gutter cleaning, repairs, relining, replacement, blocked downpipe services, and capacity improvements.”
Safe Access for Next Maintenance Visit
A solar installation changes the functional space of a roof.
So, facilities managers need to ask how roofing contractors, solar technicians and other authorized personnel will access equipment and roof areas after installation.
The overall plan may need to consider the existing walkways, guardrails, access hatches, ladders and safety systems.
Work at height must be properly planned, assessed and undertaken with appropriate precautions and not by improvised means of access, according to HSE guidance.
It is much better to consider safe access at the design stage than to find out after installation that important maintenance areas are difficult to reach.
Asbestos Cement Industrial Roofing – What Is It?
Asbestos cement roofing can be found on older industrial properties.
Such a roof needs specialist consideration before solar work proceeds.
It should not be treated just as a modern metal-clad roof.
HSE identifies asbestos cement sheets as one of the roofing materials that is likely to be fragile and therefore competent assessment and suitable working methods are especially important.
Asbestos cement roofing and fragile roofing are also part of the industrial roofing services offered by Industrial Roofing Birmingham, so owners of older buildings can be steered toward appropriate specialist advice.
Do You Replace the Roof Before Solar Panels?
Sometimes, yeah.
A good survey of the roof may indicate that only minor preparation work is needed.
If the survey shows significant deterioration or a roof on the verge of major repair then refurbishment before installing solar might be a more sensible option.
The idea is not to put yourself in a position where you have a valuable solar system up top with roofing elements below that desperately need attention.
Preparation will depend on the building and could include local repairs, corrosion treatment, fixing replacements, rooflight work, gutter maintenance, coating, over-cladding, or re-roofing.
The right solution should be based on the building’s actual condition, not a generic recommendation.
Why Schedule a Roof Survey Before You Ask for Final Solar Installation?
A professional roof survey gives everyone involved in the project a better understanding of what they’re dealing with.
It can identify visible defects, highlight maintenance requirements and help determine whether roofing work should be included in the project program.
For facilities managers, landlords and business owners, that information can also help separate out immediate repairs from longer-term improvement work.
It is much better to find a roofing issue in the planning stages than after rows of solar panels are already in place.
Planning for Commercial Solar Panels in Birmingham?
If you are planning to have rooftop solar for your warehouse, factory or other commercial premises in Birmingham, make sure that the existing roof is included in your planning from the outset.
- Inspect its condition.
- Look at leaks already out there.
- Evaluate corrosion.
- Check rooflights.
- Inspect the gutters and drainage.
- Think about access in the future.
- And determine if repairs or refurbishment are required before installation begins.
Solar panels may be the visible part of the investment, but the roof beneath them must also be serviceable and maintainable.
Industrial Roofing Birmingham provides roof surveys, industrial roof repairs, corrosion treatment, rooflight works, gutter maintenance, safe-access systems, refurbishment and dedicated solar-panel roof preparation services across Birmingham and the surrounding areas.
Thinking of solar for an industrial or commercial site?
Contact Industrial Roofing Birmingham to schedule a roof assessment and discuss any preparation needed before installation.
