The potential of rooftop solar

By Emma Peterson. 

Learn how the rising demand for solar offers commercial roofing contractors a great option to diversify their offerings.  

The demand for solar energy solutions has increased substantially in recent years. To learn more about this in the context of commercial roofing,  Dani Sheehan, senior writer for the Coffee Shops, sat down for a chat with Justin Smith, the national sales manager at Anchor Products, an  industry-leading manufacturer of solar attachment systems.  

To explain the reason behind this rising demand, Justin shared, "We’re seeing these financial demands, such as energy costs, and so it seems natural to put something that creates power closer to the where the demand is – such as on commercial roofs. The space is there and it’s lower cost than building a solar farm in the middle of nowhere because you already have infrastructure in place.” Justin continued, “The whole reason we have skyscrapers now is because we had to find a solution to build up instead of out. And if you look out as you're flying into any major metropolitan area, you’ll see space – on top of buildings.” By finding ways to install solar on those roofs, not only are you making the creation of power more sustainable, but you are also making it more efficient by using wasted space close to the demand. 

So, what role do commercial contractors play in this shift towards solar? Justin shared what he’s seeing in the field. He explained, “Contractors can adjust and build their business plans around being supportive of solar. Doesn't mean that they have to become solar specialist, but if they know how to appropriately put that system up there, if they can give consistent guidance and messaging on how to do it correctly, they’re going to open up opportunities for themselves.” 

One example of the kind of opportunities that can come from learning about and sharing about solar is more work. In order to put solar on a commercial roof, there needs to be a properly installed attachment system in place. This is a major job opportunity for contractors. Justin elaborated, “Learning to put something like our attachment system up makes contractors more well-rounded and generally stronger. And it's not anything super fancy as far as the process, it goes down quickly and more similarly to a roof than many people think.” 

Learn more about Anchor Products’ solar attachment systems and how to get trained on installing them!