Mounting systems manufacturer Renusol has extended its MetaSole mounting solution to include the new MS+ Portrait, which is capable of fixing photovoltaic modules to roofs in portrait orientation. The innovation ensures excellent rear ventilation of the solar modules and eliminates continuous mounting rails. Moreover, pre-assembled parts and the low number of components reduce installation time as well as logistics and transportation costs.
Depending on the roof surface available, mounting solar modules in a portrait configuration sometimes allows more panels to be fitted, enabling a greater output to be generated. It may also be preferable to install PV modules to the roof in a portrait as opposed to a landscape orientation for aesthetic reasons. This is why we have added the MS+ Portrait solution to the MetaSole product family, reports Felix Janssen, product manager at Renusol.
During the development process, the mounting systems specialist analysed 270 different types of trapezoidal sheet metal coverings by the 20 largest European manufacturers. The MS+ Portrait is an extremely economical mounting system that can be used with all solar modules and the majority of trapezoidal sheet metal roofs. To make the work of installers as simple as possible, we have incorporated a few special features that reduce the installation time to around ten minutes per kilowatt peak (kWp).
For example, the sealing strips are pre-assembled onto the MS+ Portraits mounting base, eliminating the need for installers to individually fix the strips to the roof. Furthermore, the screws can be drilled through the rail at any point, making the rail compatible with different distances between the corrugations found in metal roofs. Rails made by other manufacturers often include holes that do not always correspond with the distance between the ribs on the trapezoidal sheet metal. This prevents the screws from being fixed properly, possibly leading to permeable areas in the roof covering, explains Janssen. The MS+ Portraits mounting base, which is 39 mm in height, guarantees excellent rear ventilation of the solar modules.
The MS+ Portrait allows PV panels to be securely installed on roofs with inclinations ranging from as low as 3 degrees to as steep as 70 degrees. At just 3.0 kg per kWp, the system is extremely lightweight, making it suitable even for roofs on commercial buildings with low load-bearing capacities. The mounting material needed for 1 kWp fits into a shoe box, saving both logistics and transportation costs.
Like all Renusol products, the MS+ Portrait has a well-thought-through yet simple design and is compatible with other Renusol components. It can be used, for example with the new RS1 universal clamp, which combines the middle and end clamp into a single clamp, making planning, ordering materials and mounting even easier for installers.
Renusol is presenting its product innovations at the Intersolar exhibition in Munich from 10th12th June 2015.
Intersolar exhibition booth: A3.331
