Structures for Tiled Roof
We have been getting inquiries from villa owners and communities to install solar on their tiled roof villas. There are many methods by which the tiles would be mounted onto the roof. Some of the common methods are – wooden rafters, steel truss, RCC sloped roof, etc. as shown below
To install the panels, the tiles are removed and brackets are screwed to the rafters or RCC roof and the tiles then re-installed in the former position. The railing systems are mounted on the steel brackets leaving a clear space between the roof and the panel. This allows for air circulation to get between solar panels and tiles and for the air circulation to cool the solar panels in the hot summer months. In case of RCC roof, drilling depth is 50mm.
The solar panel mounting system uses the rails and brackets to tie the solar power system to the roof frame. The weight of the frame and the panels are spread across the covered area. The solar panels are strong, but relatively light weight. Overall panels, brackets and frame weigh approximately 13kg per square meter of roof space.
Tile roof brackets must be connected to a truss with a minimum of two 70mm screws. The underside of the tile is ground off so that the tile sits flat once closed.
Tile bracket installed. The tile sits nice and flat once the underside is ground off. This does not affect the weatherproofing of your roof.
Mounting rails are connected to the brackets using fasteners.
The panels are then laid onto the rails and secured by means of clamps. Each panel is joined to its neighbour and the cabling is tied to the rails and secured using cable ties.
In the case of RCC sloped roofs, we would need to provide waterproofing where we have drilled the holes to prevent leakages. Once the holes are drilled, Bitumen is applied to fully cover the holes and then the bracket is fixed as shown below. Bitumen is a mixed substance made up of organic liquids that are highly sticky, viscous, and waterproof. It provides an extra barrier and prevents water from reaching the drilled holes. Then the drilled portions along with the bracket are covered with PCC and Dr. Fixit LW+
We can also seal the drilled holes using DOWSIL 789 Silicone Weather Proofing Sealant as shown below. It is a one-part, neutral- cure, architectural grade sealant. It easily extrudes in any weather and cures at ambient temperature by reaction with moisture in the air to form a durable, flexible silicone rubber seal.
For tiled roofs, we might have to customise the brackets since the dimension of the tiles would be different for different roofs. There are readymade solutions available in the market and our first approach would be to use such readily available solutions to speed up the installation process. However, if the market solutions are not viable, then we will design the brackets and fabricate them.
Readily available solutions
Bracket designed and fabricated by EcoSoch
To recap, the mounting structures required for mounting panels on tiled roofs is provided below along with accessories required:
 
You can refer to the below videos to understand how the installation would be done.