January 14, 2019, North Andover, MA.
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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 PanelClaw Chief Technology Officer, John de Papp. The platform is being introduced with a 10 degree single tilt option and a 10 degree dual tilt option with plans to launch a 5 degree single tilt option later in 2019.
PanelClaw is now starting to produce full permit packages for customers. Pre-orders for clawFR 10 degree single tilt and 10 degree dual tilt will be accepted starting in February. “Shipments for 10 degree and dual tilt will begin in early April with an initial capacity of one megawatt per day of US-made clawFR product,” says PanelClaw’s Director of Operations Michele Kerry.
“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 degree clawFR and projected to be 70% faster for 5 degree 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.
Other features include:
- The best roof coverage ratios in the industry 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
- 2x better corrosion resistance than G235 as a standard offering with no price premium
- The most rigorous and comprehensive suite of product test and engineering reports in the world for flat roof racking
- 20% improvement in packing density allowing for more megawatts per truckload
- 2x mechanical attachment strength performance
- Fully attached (no ballast) system options for every configuration
- New row jumper cable router accessory
- Tested to ANSI/UL2703-2015 for grounding & bonding, mechanical loading and 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
- An industry best 25 year product warranty backed by a 99.997% reliability track record
The company will continue to ship its Polar Bear® III HD 10 degree solution for any partners in late stage development with anticipated hibernation of Polar Bear III HD 10 degree by mid, 2019. The Polar Bear III HD 5 degree product will continue to ship until the 5 degree 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.”
clawFR AutoCAD building blocks, design guidelines and other product information are now available on PanelClaw’s website. Sales inquiries should be directed to your PanelClaw sales expert or sent via email to sales@panelclaw.com.
About PanelClaw, Inc.
PanelClaw is the #1 flat roof racking provider in North America. Our racking has been deployed on over 9,000 flat roof projects totaling 1.3GW in 30 countries around the world. We focus exclusively on flat roof systems. With this focus, backed by more than 10 years of experience, we continue to transform the way flat roof PV is done and accelerate its adoption worldwide.
Press Inquiries:
mediarelations@panelclaw.com
