Module prices have been drastically dropping. The result is that companies are increasingly focused on using software to decrease business overhead but there has also been a huge focus on driving down Balance of System (BOS) costs, namely racking. This is the reason we spoke with Lumeta Solar to learn about their great BIPV solution. But we’re also interested in looking at some tradition racking because Lumeta Panels are not suitable for all locations.

Sollega has been developing a very fast racking system used on flat roof so I reached out to Elie Rothschild the CEO of Sollega to get his thoughts on developments in the racking industry. Full transparency, Sollega did not pay us for the review, I did it because I believe that they have an interesting product that can have benefits over traditional racking. If you’d like more information on the product, please fill out the form at the bottom of the article.

Q- What was the story of the product?

A- After the initial idea, we created the first prototype for InstaRack—no projects were built with  it, but we brought it to Solar Power International in 2009. The response was positive, so we went back to the drawing board and incorporated a lot of feedback from SPI and the roofing industry. We see the racking as the marriage of solar and the roof industry, so we need to meet the needs of the roofing industry as well as the needs of the solar industry. We worked pretty tirelessly with a number of roofing professionals to make sure we have proper drainage and to make sure our stands are as roof-friendly as possible. One of the benefits of using HPDE is that it’s completely inert, so we don’t have any issues with chemical interference with the roofing membrane. Also, we don’t have any issues with ice or water damming and we removed all of the point-loading issues. It was very important for us to work directly with the roofing industry to make sure that our product fit their needs.

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