{"id":17833,"date":"2018-01-04T16:19:26","date_gmt":"2018-01-04T05:49:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?p=17833"},"modified":"2024-10-03T09:01:16","modified_gmt":"2024-10-02T23:31:16","slug":"solar-panel-exclusion-zones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/solar-panel-exclusion-zones\/","title":{"rendered":"Rooftop Solar And Exclusion Zones: Where Solar Panels Dare Not Go"},"content":{"rendered":"
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How close to the edge of the roof should your solar panels go?<\/p><\/div>\n

In the past I’ve written about solar panel clamping zones<\/a>\u00a0which determine where, on a solar panel’s edge, you can place the clamps that attach the modules to their mounting rails.\u00a0 What I didn’t do was go into just where on a roof solar panels can and can’t be installed.<\/p>\n

Depending on the roof mounting system used to attach the panels, there may be ‘exclusion zones’ where no solar panels are allowed.\u00a0 These zones exist because winds are strongest around the edges of roofs. Installing away from the roof edge reduces wind loading on the panels and makes them less likely to be damaged or even torn off in a storm.<\/p>\n

I looked at five different manufacturers of solar roof mounting systems and was able to find Australian installation guidelines for four of them.\u00a0 Only two of these guidelines were available on manufacturer websites and so should be the most up to date versions available.\u00a0 Of the four systems for which I had installation manuals, two do not require exclusion zones, one has a small exclusion zone of 20 centimeters from roof edges, while another has a massive exclusion zone that can be over 80% of available roof space — but I assume this information is out of date.<\/p>\n

Installers are required to follow manufacturer recommendations in order to comply with Australian standards.\u00a0 If they want to do anything that isn’t recommended, first a certificate has to be obtained from a structural engineer that states the specific changes being made won’t reduce the strength or safety of the installation.\u00a0 Even when manufacturer guidelines don’t require it, installers still need to leave enough space at the bottom edge of a roof so water flowing down solar panels doesn’t overshoot the gutter.\u00a0 It is also good practice to leave at least 20cm between panels and roof edges.<\/p>\n

While I said some manufacturers don’t require exclusion zones, I will mention that air is automatically an exclusion zone and if any part of a solar panel extends beyond the edge of a roof, that is not a good thing, unless it is part of a special construction that a structural engineer has signed off on — but they never are.<\/p>\n

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Overhanging the edge is not allowed – unless you have a certificate from a structural engineer.<\/p><\/div>\n

Roof Mounting System Basics<\/h2>\n

Australia is divided into four main wind zones ranked from A to D in order of increasing maximum expected wind speed.\u00a0 D is Australia’s most dangerous cyclone zone in Western Australia.\u00a0 While not an official description, you may find the following makes them easy to remember:<\/p>\n