For many city folks living in huge multifamily buildings, traditional solar panels are not always the best option for energy conservation. It’s hard enough to make neighbors get on board, not to mention numerous city codes that impose strict and complex restrictions. In New York City, for instance, the fire code poses a huge challenge to potential solar users, as it requires a minimum of 6-foot-by-6-foot rooftop corridor for firefighters–which could mean half of the available space on a 2,000 square-foot roof.
The new product of Brooklyn SolarWorks, Solar Canopy, is designed to solve that puzzle by getting panels off the roof surface, and lifting them above it. The panels are lifted 9 feet off the ground to perfectly fit the fire code while not discounting the energy-harvesting function. In fact, by raising the system up, consumers are able to capture energy more efficiently than they would otherwise.
“On an un-raised system you get 4 to 5 kilowatts. With the raised canopy, you get 10 to 15 kW,” T.R. Ludwig of Brooklyn Solarworks said in an interview with Next City.
Head over to Next City for more details about the product.
