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Photovoltaic roofing elements and photovoltaic roofing systems

  • US 10,454,408 B2
  • Filed: 08/22/2017
  • Issued: 10/22/2019
  • Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2010
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A photovoltaic roofing system disposed on a roof deck having a top end and a bottom end, the photovoltaic roofing system comprising:

  • a plurality of photovoltaic roofing elements each comprisinga frame structure having an upward-facing surface and a downward-facing surface having a top end and a bottom end, the frame structure having a headlap zone and an exposure zone, with the exposure zone disposed toward the bottom end of the frame structure, and the headlap zone disposed toward the top end of the frame structure; and

    one or more photovoltaic elements held in the exposure zone of the frame structure,the photovoltaic roofing elements being contiguously disposed on the roof deck to provide contiguously-disposed photovoltaic elements, the contiguously-disposed photovoltaic elements together having a top edge facing the top end of the roof deck, a bottom edge facing the bottom end of the roof deck, and two side edges, wherein in each photovoltaic roofing element the frame structure includes sidelap portions disposed at lateral edges of the frame structure, the sidelap portions having geometries interlocking with sidelap portions of adjacent photovoltaic roofing elements to provide water drainage channels;

    a plurality of roofing elements disposed adjacent and along the side edges of the contiguously-disposed photovoltaic roofing elements, along their side edges; and

    side flashing elements disposed along the side edges of the contiguously-disposed photovoltaic roofing elements, each of the side flashing elements having a cross-sectional shape comprising a vertically-extending feature disposed adjacent one of the side edges of the contiguously-disposed photovoltaic elements and a flange extending away from a lateral side at a downward end of the vertically-extending feature, with the flange facing away from the contiguously-disposed photovoltaic roofing elements and being at least partially disposed between at least one of the plurality of roofing elements and the roof deck,whereinin each photovoltaic roofing element, the sidelap portion at one lateral edge includes an upward-facing channel; and

    the sidelap portion at the other lateral edge includes a downward-facing flange disposed in the upward-facing channel of an adjacent photovoltaic roofing element;

    in each photovoltaic roofing element, the frame structure is rigid;

    the contiguously-disposed photovoltaic roofing elements together are in a rectangular arrangement; and

    the photovoltaic roofing elements of the contiguously-disposed photovoltaic roofing elements are disposed in a plurality of overlapping rows, with the headlap zones of the photovoltaic roofing elements of an overlapped row being covered by the exposure zones of an overlapping row;

    the photovoltaic roofing system further comprisingone or more top flashing elements disposed along the top edge of the contiguously-disposed photovoltaic roofing elements, the one or more top flashing elements having a bottom end disposed over the top edge of the contiguously-disposed photovoltaic roofing elements, and a top end disposed under one or more of the plurality of roofing elements disposed along the top edge of the contiguously-disposed photovoltaic roofing elements; and

    a cant strip disposed under the bottom edge of the contiguously-disposed photovoltaic elements and on top of an underlying course of roofing elements of the plurality of roofing elements.

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