As with other types of solar mounting, sloped-roof mounting manufacturers are providing systems with integrated bonding architecture. Systems are also coming with fewer independent parts.
Manufacturers are focusing on more integration and pre-assembly, reducing “handling” time needed by installers on the roof and trimming installation costs. This is part of a larger trend in reducing the overall cost of solar, says Bart Leusink, president and CEO of Renusol America.
As the price of PV panels fell over the past five years, the cost of racking has moved into the foreground, with innovation in racking becoming even more important.
“With solar installers facing declining margins, they are looking for innovative racking systems to cut costs and increase productivity,” says Stella Sun, director of marketing at SunModo. “Integrated rail-less racking solution can significantly cut installation time and cost by eliminating rail-related activities.”
One example of a rail-less system comes from Roof Tech, which has launched rail-less mounting hardware products for residential PV that reflect the all-in-one concept. The RT-[E] Mount and RT-[E] Mount Air are the options for composition roofs and are classified to UL 2703 with optional adaptors for microinverters and cable harnesses. The result is a product with integrated bonding, integrated flashing and a low mechanical impact on the roof due through expansion and contraction.
The Renusol MS mounting systems for applications on trapezoidal sheet metal pitched roofs is an example of a simpler, less time-consuming installation trend. The Renusol MS does not require rails for attachment to rafters or purlins. It uses only small, pre-assembled brackets, mid-clamps and screws and includes the grounding system.
Photo courtesy of Mounting Systems
It’s important to focus on marketing practices because competition in the racking-and-mounting market has always been intense. But, as module prices have dropped, the material and labor costs associated with racking systems have become a larger percentage of the total cost of a PV installation, which puts additional pressure on racking system manufacturers to provide cost-effective designs. The question implies that racking systems are more or less commoditized. This is not the case, according to Mounting Systems.
“Overall, brands set themselves apart in the racking and mounting market the way they always have— by continuing to refine designs, provide innovative solutions that save their customers time, money and hassle, and with quality that insures long-term durability,” says product manager Don Massa of Mounting Systems.
Renusol America has found that referrals, relationships and reputation — not marketing initiatives — are driving business. With its own business experiencing a 400% growth rate in 2013, Renusol America expects the industry to consolidate around the racking-and-mounting system providers with the best relationships and reputation for products and support services.
One downside for the market, according to Massa: Trends in codes and proposed regulations and standards have already or will significantly increase material costs, administrative costs and labor costs, as well as increasing permitting complexity and uncertainty, according to Mounting Systems. They have or will needlessly complicate the entire PV design and installation process and have already made the United States one of the most expensive countries in which to install PV.
“Equally unfortunately, there has not been any demonstrable, commensurate increase in safety nor a demonstrable showing that new regulations, codes and standards are necessary,” Mass says. “What we are seeing and, unless the industry begins to push back, will continue to see, is the narrow self-interests of individuals and organizations continuing to add costs and regulatory burdens to an industry already operating on uncomfortably thin margins.”