Is it safe to walk on solar PV panels?

[douglet]

Hi, I,m planning to install JA solar PV panels on my home, in particular their Panel JAP6 60 - 250. I have noticed some installers walk all over the panels during installation - is this safe to do so?

[Sunking]

Sure if you were a bird of flight.

[Mike90250]

wear non slip deck shoes, and you should be OK.

The $400 sheet of glass you walk on may flex and crack, but your shoes will keep you safe from slipping.


(I woke up snarky today - watch out world)

[SunEagle]

If it wasn't we wouldn't, do the two posters under the op really think we would risk breaking panels everyday because they break when you step on them?
Keep in mind there isn't many fatass installers so if your over 200LBS STAY OFF!!!
Also I would kick your butt off any job site if you came to work in deck shoes, and for a mod to suggest this is dangerous. While they are fine for pushing pencils you will want a pair a good roofing shoes. ie something that laces up and isnt for the leisure activity of boating.
Stay safe when ever working on a roof top.
I hope this helps.
INDI

I believe Mike was being sarcastic.

No one in their right mind would work on a roof in deck shoes or walk on solar panels but since I see people driving motorcycles with flip flops I guess people's intelligence can be questioned.

[Jeffw1]

I don't know this, but do the manufactures rate a lb per square foot so you can?

i.e 200 lbs person can walk safely over our panels, people over 400 lbs please don't even walk up the ladder?

All I've read so far doesn't say anything about walking on panels.

[Wy_White_Wolf]

112 lb snow load.

http://www.acosolar.com/jap6-60-250-mp-250w-solar-panel

Bet your roof isn't rated that high so you shouldn't break a panel.

WWW

[SunEagle]

112 lb snow load.

http://www.acosolar.com/jap6-60-250-mp-250w-solar-panel

Bet your roof isn't rated that high so you shouldn't break a panel.

WWW

snow loading is based on a spread out load. human loading is based on point loads. The smaller the point the higher the pressure. Go compare a 200 lb person in work shoes to a 100 lb lady in high heels. Those heels will puncture things way before that work boot will even at double the weight.

When walking usually only the front portion of the shoe is in contact. That is a pretty small point for even a 200 lb person.

[Sunny Solar]

A Suneagle said you cant compare a snow load to a person walking on a panel..The spread of snow is over the whole panel a persons foot is on less than 1% of the panel. That is going to put a lot of stress on the cell connections and the cells below the glass.

I certainly would never accept any workers walking on any panels I owned.

This is one of those situations where any stress problems may not show up for 5 yrs or more .Then faults may appear in the panels . Then what.? You are going to have a fun time getting the contractor to accept the damage (mabe not even in business)and the panel manufacturer may reject the claim for faulty panel..

Better safe and not do it. than accept it and regret it later.

[SunEagle]

http://www.lumossolar.com/blog/featu...all-lsxcanopy/

True professionals installing a solar array and omg they are walking on the panels

All this forum does is confuse people. If you have no experience with installing solar panels why do you feel the need to make so many posts like this???

Just because that video shows that team doing it doesn't make it a common practice.

While I don't know everything about solar installations I have common sense and for someone to stand on a glass solar panel while they are being installed seems to me to be taking a big chance that it will not be cracked or damaged. Maybe those panels have specifications to handle that type of point load but most of the ones I have put my hands on would not tolerate someone walking on it.

[SunEagle]

You guys are acting like we (professional solar installers) are up there square dancing on the panels.
If you had any experience you would know this isn't the case.
Yeah we will occasionally walk over a panel, or step on it. Sometimes its necessary, like in the video and no I didn't spend hours on the net looking for just the right panel made for walking on, I simply searched array install time lapse because its so common I knew I could easily find it that way.
We to have common sense and that means not being in the middle of a panel, stepping where your rails are, and having the smallest guy up there.

So from your tone of voice I will presume you are a "professional solar installer" and you have, in your work experience, walked or had people working with you walk on the panels. While I am only a lowly electrical project engineer with 38 years of industrial power distribution projects under my belt.

I understand that things happen but if I have a choice the people who install my system will not walk on my panels unless they are made to do so.

The panels in that video seem to be made different than most pv panels that I have seen. While it doesn't state what the clear material the cells are sandwiched in between I would say they are probably something like polycarbonate or Lexan which is pretty strong. Unfortunately polycarbonate and Lexan have a history of turning yellow under UV rays so I would hope that is not what is being used. It may be some type of resin that is strong as well as clear. It is an interesting (an unique) pv panel.

[SunEagle]

You could have just ended it here its where I quite reading.

So sad. I will always be open to learning which means reading a complete message.

I respect electrical contractors and have worked with them for many years. As always safety was the number one condition on my projects which I believe is where this conversation started with you hoping that people wear the correct shoes so they are safe while on a roof.

[Sunking]

Well let's see. If I hired a contractor and seen them abusing my equipment I am responsible for, they get fired on the spot. No questions asked.

[Jeffw1]

See he does have a nice side. I thought he would of just shot them.

[Mike90250]

Just one mineral grain, on the bottom of a shoe, and the panel glass is history. CRACK. I'd love to see a mfg's spec sheet where it is OK to step on a panel. OK, unisolar says you can abuse their panels, but to insist that it's normal practice and OK to step on panels, is pretty misleading. You can likely do it a few times on several jobs, but the rails, frames and glass are NOT designed to take the point loads a human (even barefoot) adult can place on them.

So now my snarky mood is over, and I'm going to sign off. The internet really does need a sarcasm font.
like this http://glennmcanally.com/sarcastic/downloads.htm

[peakbagger]

My take is that true unemployed professionals may not plan to walk on panels but most consumers and most leasing companies go for the least cost installation and that encourages cut rate installs. I recently self installed a small array on a second floor roof and was talking to an installer about how I got it the panels up on the roof by myself, his comment was 10% of the time they used a lift and the other 90% of the time they don't talk about it. They are basically flat rate fixed price installations and most homeowners don't have a clue. If they happen to break a panel, that's not that expensive and odds are they will hit up the supplier for a defective panel so if they can save a few hours on most jobs by taking shortcuts they will. Unless they scratch the panel, odds are it will either survive the abuse or it will break. I am always impressed as to how durable they are to begin with. They are usually subs or small firms that stay out of OSHAs vision unless someone get seriously hurt and realistically OSHA goes after the high visibility firms that can afford to pay the fines rather than go bankrupt.