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Designing a Reliable, Non-Penetrating Solar Array With PVKIT®

Reducing labor hours, material expenses and installation complexity with a DirectAttach™ PV system.

Case Studies / Liberty Self Storage, American Flag
LOCATION Covington, LA
INDUSTRY Commercial
CUSTOMER Liberty Self Storage
PRODUCT CERTIFICATIONS ICC-ES | IAPMO Solar |FPA HVHZ| UL2703 | ULc | UL3741 | LA County | Sunnova AVL

The Challenge

The Next Energy Technology was challenged with designing and installing solar panels in the arrangement of an American flag. A traditional rail-mounted system was not ideal because it would add additional weight to the array, and in certain areas, the rails would remain exposed and compromise the design. Additionally, Liberty Storage was adamant that the array be attached to the metal roof without any penetrations. Another challenge was the area’s high wind speeds due to its proximity to the Gulf coast, which can reach up to 140-mile-per hour winds.

Project Stats

The facility features a 74.88-kW DC solar array securely mounted to the MBCI Ultra-Dek standing seam metal roof with the PVKIT®  solar attachment solution. In trading string inverters for 64 APsystems microinverters in the project design, they created one of the most energy-efficient locations in the Liberty chain, and helped Liberty take the lead as one of the most progressive mid-sized companies in the South.

74.88 kW DC

solar system size

140 mph

tested wind resistance 

740

S-5-V mini clamps

The Solution

Solar solution provider, Ontility, recommended the PVKIT DirectAttach™ rail-less solar solution paired with the S-5-V™ Mini clamp to provide a secure, economical and penetration-free method for attaching solar modules to the metal roof, enabling solar installers to lay and play PV modules with tested, engineered, cost-saving, attachment. The S-5! solution also allowed a precise physical module arrangement to achieve the artistic objective.

Standing seam metal roofing serves as the perfect platform for mounting solar PV because the structural ribs or seams can be used as inherent and cost-free “rails” for mounting solar PV via reliable mechanical attachments.

70 %

Savings in shipping costs

85 %

Lighter than rails

50 %

Faster installation

American Flag - Image 1
American Flag - Image 2

“This project was a great candidate for the PVKIT solution. Our client was adamant that we attach the array without any penetrations. Initially, this was a concern due to the high wind load in the area, but with assistance from S-5! support, we found the PVKIT together with the S-5-V Mini was the right choice for our project." 

Roger Timoteo,

| The Next Energy Technology, Kenner, LA

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