Lowest profile flat roof ballasted system

[Mattg4321]

Forgot the link

 

https://voltaconsolar.com/products/gaia-10-degrees-rubber-self-ballasted-mounting-system-for-solar-panels-east-west?variant=52708205461838

[Dillsue]

4 hours ago, Mattg4321 said:

This system claims to be only 10-11kg per sqm. No idea if it’s any good though!

I think the building control specs I posted earlier are based on 25kg/m2. 10-11kg/m2 sounds quite light ??

[Mattg4321]

48 minutes ago, Dillsue said:

I think the building control specs I posted earlier are based on 25kg/m2. 10-11kg/m2 sounds quite light ??

Guessing that might be just the mounting system, without the panels?

[Dillsue]

On 02/04/2026 at 21:56, Mattg4321 said:

Guessing that might be just the mounting system, without the panels?

You'd need to ask the manufacturer 

[mjc55]

10 degrees is sub-optimal isn't it though?  I thought 30 degrees was ideal.

[Nickfromwales]

1 hour ago, mjc55 said:

10 degrees is sub-optimal isn't it though?  I thought 30 degrees was ideal.

It’s at the 10° pitch that you can declare the panels to be “self cleaning”; you can lay them flat and they’ll produce power, but they’ll be very dirty and efficiency will suffer on both counts. Anything above lower and you need to mechanically clean them annually, possibly biannually if there’s a lot of ‘nature’. 

 

Anything above 15° and they’ll perform well, but the higher you get, to the point they’re staring at the sun down the barrel of a gun, the better.

[Tetrarch]

You could fasten the supporting ally structure to the verticals (house and garage walls) to carry the panels. You may need a support in the centre of the garage but this could be a non-fastened foot that justs rests on your flat roof with no penetration

 

My solar panels are only at about 12° . The visual aesthetic was more important to me that the 5% increase in efficiency.

 

Regards

 

Tet