2023-07-30 17:25:12
In the Koplopers series, NU.nl will visit sustainable projects this summer that give us a glimpse into the future of energy, food and construction. This week: a mounting system that makes it possible to get solar panels on many more roofs.
In recent years, there has been increasing criticism of solar panels that are placed in meadows by the thousands. As early as 2019, then-minister Kajsa Ollongren (Internal Affairs) decided that they should be on roofs as much as possible. Outgoing climate minister Rob Jetten now even wants to largely ban the construction of solar meadows.
But filling roofs with solar panels is easier said than done. Research shows that more than half of the large roofs are too weak to support solar panels. Many industrial halls and other large buildings require adjustments to strengthen the roof.
With the mounting system of RABLE from Delft, this is no longer necessary. The solar panels are placed on a metal construction that floats above the roof like a bridge. The construction rests only on the beams and trusses of the building, which means that it can be placed on almost all flat roofs, according to RABLE.
No heavy ballast is required, as is the case with the usual ways of installing solar panels on roofs. The construction is only anchored to the roof at the ends.
Ontvang meldingen bij nieuws
Quick installation
“The idea originated in 2019,” says commercial manager Nikki Hoexum in the sweltering factory hall in Delft, where RABLE is demonstrating its system. She already has the fifth prototype of the system in front of her. “At the beginning of this year we decided: ‘We really need to get on the roof now.'”
We succeeded: the first roofs have now been filled with solar panels on the RABLE construction. For the time being, these are relatively small projects with a maximum of 240 solar panels. “But we have now started production for a project of five thousand panels,” says Hoexum.
An additional advantage for companies that want solar panels on their roof is that the installation with the RABLE system is a lot faster. The construction can be unfolded in one go over a rail on the roof.
Also consumer version coming soon
According to Hoexum, the mounting system is usually slightly more expensive than traditional competitors, although the situation differs per roof. Because weak roofs no longer need to be reinforced by the RABLE system, the company hopes to appeal to a large market.
The first results are positive: Hoexum speaks of a “stream of applications”. “We see that owners of large roofs know where to find us. If your consumption is high, you would prefer to have solar panels on your roof.”
The consumer market will soon be next as well. RABLE plans to launch a plug-and-play solar panel system later this year that households can install on their own flat roofs.
“Our goal is to eventually be able to fit all weak, flat roofs with solar panels,” says Hoexum. A big ambition for a company that now only has ten employees. “But we’ve only just started.”
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