Briarwood recommends the use of solar panels installed on any fibre cement roof providing it is has been correctly designed and pre-planned prior to installation.
There are various types of solar panel systems which can be installed above a fibre cement roofed structure. Some systems can affect the lifespan and durability of the fibre cement sheets due to the added stress from the extra imposed loading of the solar panel system.
When selecting a solar panel system, a few key points should be adhered to:
- The maximum amount of fixings per purlin is two
- The solar panel system must never impose loading onto the corrugation peak
- Fibre cement sheets should not be walked on and the correct health and safety equipment should be when installing the solar panel systems
- The purlins and building structure should be pre-designed to account for the additional loading of the panel system to ensure it conforms to building regulation standards
- Careful consideration should also be taken regarding the increase in build-up of snow and in any in wind loadings after the solar panel system has been installed
- There should never be any foot traffic on the roofing sheets when cleaning the solar panel system
- Design considerations should be made for access walkways for cleaning to prevent foot traffic from occurring
- There should never be any additional fixings through the fibre cement sheets into the purlins
Solar panel systems should only be used where the weight of the entire solar panel system is supported by the purlin and/or the buildings structure without adding any additional point-loading at any fixing position of the fibre cement roof sheet above the fixing tightness of a standard fibre cement roof.
Any restriction or compromises which weakens or changes the performance of the fibre cement roofing sheets may show as a product failure upon inspection and this will not be covered within guarantees or warranties.
Briarwood Products supports all designers who wish to include solar panel systems to work in harmony with our EUROSIX fibre cement sheeting and thank all of you for your interest in our products and services.
For more clarification on whether your proposed solar panel system is accepted and still leaves the fibre cement roofing sheets covered by our warranties/guarantees, please reach out to our technical office for final clarification.