So on this site, we had limited roof space based on the structural engineering certification of the roof. So, for this one we've designed it with the premium grade solar panels. They're a high wattage panel. They take up the same physical roof space with a lot less of them so therefore there's less weight, less load. It works for the design of this particular site. The logistics on this site are, we've got about 25 pallets of solar panels. Each pallet weighs about 700 kilos. We run all the details by the structural engineers so that we learn where we can place the panels on the roof. Obviously we don't want to cause any damage to the roof and we don't want any incidents.
So safety is a pretty major concern. So on this particular job we had to reach a long way in. We've used a 120 tonne crane just so that we could get 40 measures worth of reach and we could drop them in above the structural beams underneath. We base all of our designs around the structural engineering for the site. Obviously it's very important to make sure that the roof is able to sustain the load. If that means that we have to go for a more premium panel with less weight then that's what we have to do. So just as an example, on this particular site we had 532 solar panels. If we were to use a lesser quality panel there would have been another 150 odd panels which obviously, times that by however much each panel weighs, it becomes a substantial impact.
The logistics on the site are always just a challenge for each job. You know, there's always other tradesman on site. There's always, where do we put the crane to get everything up here. Again, we run all this past the structural engineers to make sure that everything's going to be okay. We don't want to take any risks on the site for anything. So I think with all commercial business, if you guys own your roof, then you've got to go for solar. We'll save you money. It will ensure your energy security over the next 25 years. They're a pretty low maintenance type of investment. They just sit on the roof and they do their business.
So I think every business in the commercial space should be considering solar as an option. So the higher efficiency, they return more power, every day long-term for the next 25 years. It makes sense to go for the more premium grade panel.
How does the structural engineering design of a commercial property effect the solar power system installation?
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