Modules & mounting systems: The right combination matters

Module damage on the roof is unquestionably annoying and can quickly become stressful. It is small consolation when the product guarantees are still effective and one can in theory call the manufacturers to get everything done. It actually sounds pretty simple. Unfortunately, practice shows that the manufacturers of the various components sometimes do not agree which guarantees should apply to which product. Discussions are inevitable in these situations. The new combation warranty from IBC SOLAR provides a remedy here and allows stress-free processing in the event of damage.  (more…)

Roofs, loads and the correct mounting system

The AeroFix base rail G2 Eco

I will never forget my father´s face when my sister-in-law walked across his newly laid parquet flooring with spiked heels on …This funny example reminds me of, how “not so funny” and also how important sufficient area is for the distribution of relative loads. Because the same situation also applies to PV systems on flat roofs as in these situations, heavy loads can play a role, too. Either caused by snow loads, e.g. in Scandinavia or in the Alps, or by high ballasting weight. As a Certified Surveyor for Photovoltaic Systems, I see more and more cases where installers are confronted with building insurance claims for damaged roof coverings caused by heavy loads. In the case of a commercial sized roof, the resulting claims against the installer can easily get up to a six-digit number of value. (more…)

An award for customer satisfaction

The German Institute for Service Quality (DISQ) together with the news broadcaster n-tv will be on the lookout this year to select “Germany’s Most Popular Provider” from a large number of companies across 42 sectors. We are very excited that one of the Life & Living Awards 2020 is coming to Bad Staffelstein. IBC SOLAR is one of the winners in the category “Solar Technology” and thus one of the top three companies in the industry. An award, that makes us extremely proud.  (more…)

Flagship project in Africa: Using solar power to counteract fluctuating power grids

The association Connecting Continents e.V., based in Kirchroth/Germany, has been running a secondary school on Pemba, a small island belonging to Zanzibar/Tanzania in East Africa, for 15 years. A total of 300 pupils, half of them girls and a quarter orphans, attend the school, which is one of the best in the region. The school has been under the direction of headmistress Mrs. Bi Mwaache for many years. Together with her team, she helps students to obtain a state-certified degree every year. In order to concentrate even better on her work with the students, Mrs. Mwaache and her family have recently moved into a freshly finished house only 1 km away from the school. But the electricity supply in the region is very unreliable. Therefore, a photovoltaic system with a battery storage system has recently been installed, which supplies the family with CO2-neural solar power.

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Static friction coefficient with AeroFix and AeroFlat

Static friction and spring scale

In the flat roof sector, aerodynamic mounting systems have evolved, especially for foil, bitumen, green and gravel roofs. The reason for this success is the simple assembly compared to other systems, as normally no roof penetrations have to be made and better load values are achieved through the aerodynamics. Instead, ballast is only applied depending on the project. In this context, the so-called static friction coefficient between the bracket and the roof cladding plays an important role in all aerodynamic systems on the market, for example in our IBC AeroFix and IBC AeroFlat systems, because it strongly influences the ballast. How this is determined exactly and what needs to be taken into account is explained in more detail below. (more…)