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The Impact of Solar Energy Growth on the Future of Metal Construction

Posted on May 5, 2025




overhead view of a building with solar panels on its roof

The outlook for photo voltaic installations in america continues to be shiny. Greater than 40 gigawatts (GW) had been put in in 2024, with about 8 GWs put in on rooftops. In accordance with Wooden Mackenzie, a worldwide supplier of knowledge and analytics for vitality transition, photo voltaic will see regular development wanting forward and near 45 GWs yearly by 2029, with about 10 GWs put in on rooftops annually.

Electrical energy demand is beginning to speed up throughout the nation. In accordance with the Division of Power (DOE), the demand will develop 16 p.c by 2029. That is primarily pushed by the rise and persevering with development of knowledge facilities, which offer photo voltaic alternatives, particularly distributed era (on-site) photo voltaic, to fulfill the rising demand. In accordance with the Deloitte Analysis Middle for Power & Industries, wind and photo voltaic accounted for almost 90 p.c of latest electrical energy capability within the first 9 months of 2024. Photo voltaic had the extra important share, and that’s anticipated to proceed within the close to future.

overhead view of a building with solar panels on its exterior
A metallic roof is probably the most solar-friendly roof kind out there and the perfect platform for mounting photo voltaic photovoltaics (PV).

The growth of photo voltaic vitality continues to be fueled by federal incentives launched by the Inflation Discount Act (IRA), numerous state and native tax incentives, and public coverage mandates. Furthermore, the price of photo voltaic has decreased considerably over the previous twenty years, bettering the return on funding (ROI) year-over-year and making photo voltaic vitality extra accessible for extra owners and companies alike.

Why this issues for the metallic development trade

The expansion of photo voltaic vitality presents a major alternative for the metallic development trade. In accordance with Rooftop Photo voltaic on the Rise, a report by The Frontier Group and the Environmental America Analysis & Coverage Middle, rooftop photo voltaic is simply starting to scratch the floor of the huge potential of obtainable rooftop house in america, using solely 3.5 p.c of that house at the moment. The report states, “America might produce the equal of 45 p.c of the electrical energy we at the moment use from rooftop photo voltaic, but, in 2022, rooftop photo voltaic supplied just one.5 p.c of America’s electrical energy.”

overhead view of a building with solar panels on the roof
Mounting photo voltaic to a metallic roof is simpler and cheaper than every other roof kind.

This presents a transparent alternative for metallic roofing to play a pivotal position. A metallic roof is probably the most solar-friendly roof kind out there and the perfect platform for mounting photo voltaic photovoltaics (PV). The inherent construction of metallic roofing, with its seams or ribs, naturally offers a built-in (and cost-free) platform for photo voltaic panel set up. These options act as steady rails, offering for putting in a direct-attach system and eliminating the necessity for the added price of conventional mounting rails.

Service life

Within the industrial/industrial market sector, a discipline/lab research revealed by the Steel Building Affiliation (MCA) signifies that the service lifetime of standing seam coated metal is within the vary of 70 years—double the service lifetime of a photo voltaic system. Many various roofing techniques will expire lengthy earlier than the 35-year service lifetime of the PV system ends. This results in pricey disassembly of the PV array and reroofing and reassembly.

a worker installing a solar panel
Increasingly more constructing house owners are changing their roofs with metallic roofs due to their elevated sturdiness over different roofing supplies.

The service lifetime of photo voltaic PV is well-documented, with research from  Berkeley and different sources offering proof of their longevity. When paired with metallic roofing, this mix presents an unparalleled service life and long-term efficiency. No different roofing materials matches the service lifetime of metallic with out requiring substitute. Excessive-end tile could be the solely exception, nevertheless it comes with a excessive price ticket and is way heavier (239 Pa to 383 Pa versus 60 Pa (5 psf to eight psf versus 1.25 psf). Mounting photo voltaic to tile is advanced and tough to do with out breaking tiles, so the price is way greater than mounting to metallic.

Steel roofing can be probably the most sustainable roofing kind (with a 98 p.c recycling price,1 metal is among the most recycled development supplies out there), which is necessary to the client aware of environmental vitality efficiencies.

Ease of set up

Mounting photo voltaic to a metallic roof is simpler and cheaper than every other roof kind. Photo voltaic PV might be mounted on the roof’s standing seams or ribs with dependable mechanical attachment strategies whereas preserving the roof’s integrity. This eliminates the necessity to measure, reduce, find, and set up conventional rails, leading to important time and labor financial savings. This implies photo voltaic installations not solely have a decrease price but additionally decrease collateral load, transport/logistic expense, and carbon footprint.

Steel roof photo voltaic mounting can provide fewer parts, light-weight supplies, and higher load distribution. It additionally offers a zero-penetration system for standing seam metallic roofs whereas preserving the roof’s guarantee with no holes or leaks.

Lifetime ROI

As soon as the choice is made to put in photo voltaic, typically in tandem, a brand new roof is required. Increasingly more constructing house owners are changing their roofs with metallic roofs due to their elevated sturdiness over different roofing supplies and decrease lifetime prices. This results in elevated return on funding (ROI) when photo voltaic PV is put in, particularly when the PV array and metallic roof are thought of a single asset.

When computing ROI inside photo voltaic monetary modeling and evaluation, inverter substitute is often factored in at concerning the 15th yr–however what concerning the roof substitute price? If roof substitute is required earlier than the tip of the lifetime of the PV system, the photo voltaic array should be fully dismantled and re-installed on the substitute roof. Typically, even the preliminary price of photo voltaic plus a metallic roof is inexpensive than photo voltaic plus various roof sorts. Consider roof substitute on the half-life of the photo voltaic, and the benefits grow to be significantly magnified. With metallic, roof substitute isn’t required. The roof will nonetheless be going robust lengthy after the service lifetime of the photo voltaic array has expired.

Foremost takeaway

Because the adoption of solar energy continues to develop, metallic roofs will proceed to be a most popular selection for brand spanking new installations and retrofits, strengthening the connection between the expansion of photo voltaic vitality and the evolving calls for for metallic roofing.

For particulars on putting in photo voltaic on metallic roofs, the Steel Building Affiliation (MCA) presents a three-part white paper sequence on photo voltaic PV and metallic roofing at metalconstruction.org.

References

1
Fashionable Metal Building (EAF statistics, Might 2023).

Mark Gies is the director of technique and market growth at S-5!. He has 16 years of photo voltaic vitality trade expertise starting from product growth, operations, set up, compliance, codes, and requirements to gross sales and enterprise growth. He’s vice chair of the Photo voltaic Power Trade Affiliation’s (SEIA) mounting system producers committee.



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