I've seen a couple of posts historically about people doing solar PV installs on a flat roof, but I was curious for a current sanity check. I'm looking at some Solyndra modules that are quite cost-effective right now (no jokes please, I understand the company is a mess, but the technology was not the primary issue - it was the cost of building it). They are designed for flat roof installation on a frame which is not bolted down.
Two concerns I've heard about this type of residential install are roof loading (which you'd think would also be a question too for sloped roof install, and these are quite light at <3 pounds/sqft) and the issue of not being bolted down (wind?).
I'm attracted to this solution because I have more flat roof than sloped roof to work with, the system can be more easily hidden, and I would avoid a lot of additional installation cost to re-roof my sloped roof which doesn't otherwise need it right now.
Any concerns on this approach?
Thanks.
I'm not sure what you'd gain by not bolting down, but if you have a mostly flat roof, I'd suggest some kind of frame that floats a few inches above the roof proper, and the panels would mount on that.