Do solar panels cause roof leaks?

According to a recent report by the National House Building Council (NHBC), there has been a dramatic increase the number of leaking roofs associated with the installation of solar panels.

The number of solar panel installations rose steeply over the last year, thanks to the incentive provided by the Feed In Tariff (FIT). 

Integrated PV tiles – ie those which are installed within the roof – are designed to work with the roofs tiles as a whole roof system and should not cause any problems.

The issue really arises with on-top solar PV systems – ie those which are installed on top of existing pitched roofs.

Many of the Solar PV systems on sale in the UK at the moment are imported and may not have been designed specifically for the UK market.   This is important as the UK has some of the highest winds and strongest driving rain in Europe.   A system that has not been designed to cope with these conditions may not have adequate fixings and, in dealing with the stress of the UK winds, may damage the roof tiles – causing leaks.

The Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) is designed to examine the quality of solar panels (and only products that are MCS certified qualify for the FIT).  However, the standard does not cover the fixings – and that is where the problems are likely to arise.

MCS will be introducing a further standard shortly that will focus on how solar panels are fixed to the roof.  In the meantime, Redland solar panel systems have been designed specifically for the UK and will comply with the MCS standard when it is introduced.  So you can rest assured: if you choose Redland solar PV products, installed by an MCS certified contractor, then they will not cause your roof to leak.