Polar Racking installs over 250 kWdc in rooftop solar racking to a downtown New York apartment building.
Over six months have passed since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, and still, renewable energy is on the rise. This year alone, clean energy resources – of which a significant portion is solar – reached just over 25 percent of the United States’ electricity generation – an all-time high.
There are several things that become increasingly important as the use of solar energy becomes more widespread. First, the system’s photovoltaic cells – better known as PVs or modules – must be efficient. Second, the system mounting – better known as solar racking – must be rugged, durable, and long-lasting.
It’s no surprise why Polar Racking was asked by Premier Solar and SolAlliance to supply the solar racking for two new residential and commercial rooftop solar projects in the State of New York. One is located right downtown in New York City’s Manhattan borough, the other is located in Harrison, New York, a short distance from Westchester. Both will be subject to strong winds and cold winter temperatures. With decades of experience in designing solar racking and ballast design for cold climates, Polar Racking is the trusted source for developers looking to install a sturdy and long-lasting solar energy system.
We recently visited the rooftop project discussed in this article – check out the video!
Solar in New York – Why it Works
New York has hot summers and cold winters, like much of the Northeast and Midwest United States. When your weather has a wide fluctuation in temperature like this, it’s important that the racking you choose for your new solar project can deal with extreme weather events and changes in climate. In doing so, you may be able to generate more electricity than in the summer months.
Despite the common myth that solar power is ideal only for summer months, PV panels actually produce the same amount of power in less typical seasons for solar, insofar as snow is removed, melted, or falls off the panels. With today’s technology and analysis, solar panels for cold climates are normally tilted to a certain degree so that even if a large snowstorm hits your property or business, it will quickly brush off from either the wind or gravity.
The rooftop solar project recently completed in Manhattan by Polar Racking lies on a residential apartment building and contributes power to the main grid. We made sure to use our 5-degree PRG product with 72 cell wind deflectors in order to ensure the project can withstand those nasty New York weather events well into the future.
In fact, when developing a new solar project, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t take the long-term future into account. Besides, these projects are meant to last more than 25 years.
The two projects mentioned in this article are located in New York State and use the PRG5 – 5 Degree 72 Cell Wind Deflector – which includes runners, recycled rubber substrates, and ballast trays. In combination, the projects are estimated to generate 280 kWdc annually.
If you or someone you know is interested in installing a rooftop solar project on a commercial or residential building and need racking, contact Polar Racking at sales@polarracking.com. Our head of sales Jonathan Mizrachi will personally contact you to schedule a free, custom-designed consultation.
Learn more about PRG Rooftop Racking, the product used for these projects.
