What is a roof mounted photovoltaic system guidance?

The guidance refers only to the mechanical installation of roof mounted integrated and stand-off photovoltaic systems; it provides best practice guidance on installation requirements and does not constitute fixing instructions.

What is a rooftop solar PV installation?

A rooftop solar PV installation comprises of PV panels assembled in arrays, mounting frames to support the panels and secure them to the roof, wiring, inverters, and other components depending on the type of installation. The roof site must be able to accommodate all of these components, which requires examining the following aspects:

What should a PV power plant roof plan include?

Roof configuration. A roof plan can help quantify the roof area available for the PV power plant. The plan should indicate the location (including longitude and latitude), height, and slope of the roof itself, as well as any additional structures present on the roof.

How much weight does a PV system add to a roof?

A conventional PV system that includes racking materials will add approximately 6 pounds per square foot of dead load to the roof or structure, though actual weights can vary for different types of systems. Wind will add live loads; the magnitude of live loads will depend on the geographic region and the final PV system.

How much dead load does a crystalline PV system put on a roof?

As a general rule of thumb, a crystalline PV system will place about 15–20 kilograms per square meter (kg/m2) (3–4 pounds per square foot) of dead load on the roof (California Energy Commission 2001), but this varies depending on the panels and mounting system used, the spacing between panels, and the wind load.

Are rooftop solar PV systems safe?

ted PV systems do not create safety or reliability problems for grid oper-ators or consumers. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 set IEEE 1547 as the national standard for interconnecting rooftop solar PV systems (and other distributed generation resources) to the grid, and