In another move to drive down the costs of flat roof solar PV, PanelClaw introduces the clawFR platform. clawFR is the result of more than 10 years of developing flat roof mounting systems.
“We continue to listen to installers, developers, finance providers, insurance companies and other stakeholders to deliver the lowest installed cost and most reliable flat roof systems in the world,” said John de Papp, CTO at PanelClaw.
The platform is being introduced with a 10 single tilt option and a 10° degree dual tilt option with plans to launch a 5° single tilt option later in 2019.
PanelClaw is now starting to produce full permit packages for customers. Pre-orders for clawFR 10° single tilt and 10° dual tilt models will be accepted starting in February. “Shipments for 10° and dual tilt will begin in early April with an initial capacity of 1 MW per day of U.S.-made clawFR product,” says Michele Kerry director of operations at PanelClaw’s.
“clawFR provides a pathway to more market opportunities for our partners and enables continued flat roof sector growth,” says Constantino Nicolaou, CEO of PanelClaw. PanelClaw incorporated feedback from hundreds of companies in the development process. “Lowering the life-cycle cost of solar is challenging. Doing this while at the same time enhancing system performance and reliability has become a calling card of our innovation cycle,” adds de Papp.
Key features of the platform include a drastic install speed improvement with initial installer estimates ranging from 40 to 50% faster for the 10° clawFR and projected to be 70% faster for 5° as compared to PanelClaw’s Polar Bear III HD platform. The entire clawFR system is installed using a single M6 bolt with no other hardware required.
The company will continue to ship its Polar Bear III HD 10° solution for any partners in late stage development with anticipated hibernation of the product by mid 2019. The Polar Bear III HD 5° product will continue to ship until the 5° clawFR solution is available later in 2019.
“As the largest flat roof mounting systems provider in North America, it is our responsibility to continue to innovate to drive out cost, enhance reliability and drive velocity for our partners,” says Nicolaou. “With the launch of clawFR, our focus will now shift to a new cloud-based software platform that reduces the design, engineering and ordering process with our partners from weeks to minutes.”
Product features & credentials:
- Roof coverage ratios at every tilt angle with generous row to row gaps for simplified O&M
- “No tool” patent pending module attachment method at module airy points
- Two-times better corrosion resistance than G235 as a standard offering with no price premium
- Rigorous and comprehensive suite of product test and engineering reports
- 20% improvement in packing density allowing for more megawatts per truckload
- Doubled mechanical attachment strength performance
- Fully attached (no ballast) system options for every configuration
- New row jumper cable router accessory
- Full UL 2703 listing for grounding & bonding, mechanical loading and a Type A fire classification
- Boundary layer wind tunnel tested in accordance with ASCE 7-16, ASCE/SEI 49-12 and SEAOC PV2 2017
- More universal parts than any previous PanelClaw flat roof platform allowing for module changes with minimal or no lead time impact
- A 25-year product warranty backed by a 99.9% reliability track record
News item from PanelClaw
Cameron Carey says
Useful summary for this attractive product.