Kevin Taylor, Training & Technical Support Manager at Marley, explains how the growing popularity of solar PV is leading to the integration of arrays with traditional clay pantiles.
Solar PV is viewed as a central way to help decarbonise buildings, offering a clean energy source that supports those working towards reducing carbon emissions by 31%, as stipulated by the Building Regulations Part L amendments. Combined with renewable technologies, such as heat pumps, solar is seen as a quick and easy product choice that can deliver real benefit.
As a result, there has been a significant rise in the volume of solar PV system installations, with the number of specifications standing at over 1.35 million according to government statistics. Growing industry need is also being driven by increased consumer awareness of the renewable technology advantages solar PV offers. As such, builders may be tasked with specifying and delivering roofing projects where the inclusion of a solar PV array, alongside clay or concrete tiles, is required.
Homeowners could want to link the beauty, heritage and performance of highly popular clay pantiles with proven solar PV systems, such as SolarTile – Marley’s integrated solution that can be installed at the same time as other roof tiles.
Bringing clay pantiles and solar PV arrays together
From a technical perspective, combining clay pantiles and a solar PV array via an integrated solution requires small adjustments and installation considerations to ensure a seamless finished result.
The main factor to appreciate is that interlocking clay pantiles, such as the Lincoln, typically have a deeper profile, compared to alternative medium or low-profile tile solutions. This means that the head of the tiles finish too high below the sill flashings, leading to flat or negative falls where rainwater can gather. To address this, the tops of the tiles will normally need chamfering off to allow any rainwater to flow freely down the roof.
Contractors will be used to chamfering high profile tiles below sill flashings, as the technique is often required when working with roof window installations as part of a roofing project. It is recommended that the additional time for the chamfering is factored into work timescales, though it is not viewed as excessive.
Fixing correctly
When setting out underneath the panels, it is important to ensure that there is a gap of 130-150mm from the head of the tiles to the underside of the first panel. This will ensure the correct coverage on the flashings and allow enough room for the installation of the tiles.
Another important consideration that applies to all interlocking tiles, such as the Lincoln, is that the tiles need to finish 30-60mm from the sides of the solar panel array. It is important to set the solar PV panels out to minimise the amount of small tile cuts where possible, as they can be difficult to fix and could lead to maintenance issues in the future.
The clay pantiles also need to finish 60-150mm above the top edges of the solar panels, and it is important to ensure the tile support strips (supplied in the flashing kits) are installed to ensure the tiles do not dip after being fixed in place.
With some simple installation adjustments, it can be straightforward to bring together the traditional aesthetics of much-loved clay pantiles and the energy benefits of modern solar PV arrays as an integrated roofing solution. The combination of old and new ensures roofs are high performing and future proofed.
For further information on Marley SolarTile visit Roof Integrated SolarTile® | Marley | Solar Roof Tiles
