More and more businesses are looking at the environmental impact of their operations, and looking at sustainable alternatives to the resources they use. We’re all aware of the rising costs in power, so it’s natural that an increasingly attractive investment is in renewable power sources, like solar panel – also known as PV panel – installation.
PV panel systems are a long-term investment, with cost-saving only becoming apparent after a few years, depending on the surface area of the panels, and therefore how much solar energy they can harness per day. As it can be a sizeable but worthwhile investment, it’s key that the roof on which the installation will be carried out is assessed for its structural integrity, load-bearing potential and state of repair.
The life cycle of a PV installation is around 20-25 years, which may outlive the roof its on, in the roof’s current state. You may therefore be wondering whether you need to replace your roof before moving forward with your solar installation, however that would contradict the (long-term) cost-saving and sustainable factors that prompted your move into renewable energy. The good news is that in many cases, you should only need to repair your roof, not replace it, before proceeding with PV panel installation.
At Cladspray, our industrial roof refurbishment can take a worn, damaged roof and restore it to a remarkable standard. Not only that, but your business may remain operational while the work is being carried out, further saving you money that would otherwise be lost in business interruption costs.
How to Repair Your Roof Before Installing Solar Panels
Repairing your roof before installing solar panels can be done in several ways, depending on the type and extent of wear and tear. The process may also differ if you have rooflight works in place. We use sophisticated paint systems like HD Sharman’s Delcote®, which extend the natural life of your existing industrial or commercial roof to either a 10-year or even 25-year guarantee, depending on the nature of the coating that’s applied.
The process of repairing a roof before installing solar panels is much the same as the other services we offer; we start with a full assessment of the existing surface – in this case, the roof itself. A site visit will determine the level of deterioration of your existing roof and what needs to be done to get it to a suitable state for PV installation.
We will prepare the roof by surface blasting any peeling paint or degradation and also treat any signs of corrosion. Once the surface is prepared fully we can set about adding a lightweight coating system like the aforementioned Delcote® by HD Sharman. Its lightweight quality is key for PV installation, which is only possible when the roof is load-bearing enough to support the weight of the new panels.
The best place to start before installing solar panels is a full structural survey, which will determine the safety and efficacy of roof repair or refurbishment versus roof replacement. If your reasons for PV installation are to improve sustainability within your operation, then repairing or refurbishing will almost always have a lower carbon impact than replacing.
