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Modern urban spaces are all about maximizing every inch, including rooftops. Green roofs are becoming more common in cities due to regulations, and many assume they can’t be paired with solar panels. But don’t worry—green roofs and solar energy can absolutely work together! 

Combining Solar Panels with Green Roofs

Modern urban spaces are all about maximizing every inch, including rooftops. Green roofs are becoming more common in cities due to regulations, and many assume they can’t be paired with solar panels. But don’t worry—green roofs and solar energy can absolutely work together! 

Combining Solar Panels with Green Roofs: What You Need to Know 

Ruseløkka sk Conventional PV on GR.jpeg
Solfjellhøgda helsehus sedum solar panels 2s.JPG
Traditional Sedum Roof + Over Easy Solar (May 2024, NL)_1.webp

Heavier (150-800 kg/m²) and built with thicker soil layers, intensive green roofs support a variety of plants, including grasses, shrubs, and small trees. With plant heights from 30-60 cm, they offer greater biodiversity and aesthetic value. However, their weight requires stronger structural support and more complex maintenance. This often demands additional reinforcement to support both the soil and solar panels, making integration with solar installations more challenging and requiring careful planning.

Intensive green roofs

Overgrown vegetation on a conventional solar system, diminishing energy output by blocking sunlight and reducing panel efficiency.

Lightweight (50-150 kg/m²) and low-maintenance, extensive green roofs are typically planted with sedum species. These hardy plants thrive in strong sunlight and dry periods. Their minimal weight and simple design make them ideal for large-scale applications with limited structural capacity, and highly compatible with solar panel installations. Extensive green roofs create minimal interference with panels and require little upkeep, ensuring efficient integration of both systems.

Extensive Green Roofs

Extensive green roof with a variety of plants, promoting energy efficiency and environmental sustainability.

Types of Green Roofs 

Understanding your roof type is essential to choosing the right solar setup. Green roofs are typically built with a layered structure that includes a root barrier, drainage, soil, and vegetation. The two most common types are: extensive and intensive, each affecting the compatibility with solar panels differently.

1.  Know Your Roof Type

Maintaining a green roof doesn’t have to be complex. With our vertical panels, upkeep is simple and effective. Their design provides easy access and space to walk between the panels for maintenance. Caring for Sedum roofs is just as easy as traditional green roofs.

 

For Sedum roofs with Over Easy Solar VPV units, just a few sessions per year are needed. Inspect the roof in spring and autumn for weeds and check drainage systems. Remove leaves and debris, especially near trees. Follow safety guidelines when working at heights and avoid maintenance during freezing temperatures. With our vertical panels, your green roof remains healthy with minimal effort.

Simple Maintenance for Green Roofs: Over Easy

Solar installation with excessive ballast, stressing roof integrity and making the installation process more complex and time-consuming.

Ballast systems use heavy materials, like gravel, substrate, or concrete, to secure solar panels. While they are effective in stabilizing the panels, they add significant weight to the roof. This type of system requires a stronger building structure to handle the extra load.

Ballast Systems

Ballast-free systems, such as Over Easy Solar, are lightweight and don’t require heavy materials. These systems use innovative technology to mount solar panels securely without adding extra weight. They are ideal for green roofs with limited structural capacity.

Ballast-Free Systems

A ballast-free vertical solar installation atop a beautiful green roof, offering an efficient and eco-friendly energy solution.

Types of Mounting Systems

Green roofs add weight to your building, and solar panels can increase this load significantly. It's important to ensure that your structure can handle the added weight. There are two main types of mounting systems for solar panels: Ballast Systems and Ballast-Free Systems.

2.  Consider Roof Load

Start Combining Solar Panels
and Green Roofs!

Cover large areas, causing shading and limiting sunlight and rain access. They make maintenance more challenging due to restricted access to plants and uneven vegetation growth, making them less suitable for green roofs. To avoid these issues, it's best to cover only part of the roof with solar panels, typically 50–70% of the area that would be used for a flat roof installation, leaving space for the green roof to thrive.

Conventional Panels

Elevated systems allow light and water to reach plants below, offering better conditions for growth. While maintenance is easier compared to conventional panels, they do require additional structural support and ballast. This extra reinforcement can be challenging to implement in existing buildings, making it less feasible in some cases.

Specialized Mounting Systems

These panels stand vertically, allowing both sunlight and rain to reach the plants below. By minimizing shading and reducing weight, they ensure plants have continuous access to light and water. Their design simplifies maintenance, providing even light distribution and easy access for plant care. Ideal for green roofs, this system reduces conflicts between solar energy production and plant health.

Vertical Bifacial Panels

Vertical solar panels installed on a green roof, maximizing energy production while preserving the roof’s cooling and rainwater management benefits.
Specialized raised solar panels on a green roof, causing significant shading that undermines the green roof’s positive environmental impact.
"A conventional solar system on a green roof, where excessive vegetation growth negatively affects solar panel performance and energy yield.

Types of Mounting Systems

Solar panels can affect plant growth by limiting sunlight and water, while also making maintenance more difficult. Choosing the right solar system and ensuring easy access for upkeep is key to maintaining healthy plants alongside efficient energy production. Here’s how different systems impact your green roof:

3.  Avoid Plant-Solar Conflicts: Choose the Right Solar Installation

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