Solar Panel Setback From Roof Edge

Of course those in cyclone areas have the strictest laws and are not allowed to be any closer than 1 metre from the edge or apex of a roof.

Solar panel setback from roof edge.

Depending on where you live different laws exist as to how close solar panels are allowed to be from a roof edge. Things you should know before you go solar we ve compiled some of the questions we have received over the years. For homes with sprinkler systems if the system takes up less than 2 3 of the plan view total roof area the setback for ridge ventilation is also relaxed to 18 inches. So provided rails are fastened as the installation manual recommends panels can be installed up to the edges of roofs.

Five times the distance between the modules and the roof surface. The exact size of the fire setback depends on the size of the building but for an average sized home each roof section that has solar panels requires two clear 36 inch wide pathways running along the edge of the roof. Correctly following setbacks also removes a solid chunk of usable roof space generally 20 30 so that s less solar they can sell you. Here s what that looks like.

Roof setbacks from ridge for ventilation relaxed from 36 inches to 18 inches for solar systems that take up less than 1 3 of the plan view total roof area. The minimum distance from the chimney is 60cm. Chances are even with setbacks they d still let it burn but such is life. There s nothing inherently dangerous here in my mind except the fact that during a fire the fire department is just gonna let it burn.

For each roof plane with a photovoltaic array a minimum 36 inch wide 914 mm pathway from the lowest roof edge to ridge shall be provided on the same roof plane as the photovoltaic array on an adjacent roof plane or straddling the same and adjacent roof planes. Example of a fire setback code in california.