Over Easy Solar launches 256 W vertical rooftop PV unit

Vertical solar specialist Over Easy Solar has recently released a new version of its vertical PV system for rooftop applications.

“We have just received the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for our xM-3 flat-roof system,” the company’s CEO, Trygve Mongstad, told pv magazine. “As far as we have been able to establish, this is the first EPD globally for a rooftop PV product covering both the solar panels and the mechanical mounting structure in the same declaration.”

“One interesting detail is that the EPD is expressed per square meter of installed system rather than per kilowatt. The A1-A3 footprint is 51.5 kg CO₂e/m², including both the panels and mounting system. The equivalent global warming footprint for energy generation would be 19 g CO₂e/kWh, assuming a specific yield of 1,000 kWh/kW,” he added.

The xM-3 Quattor-256S is a 256 W bifacial PV unit designed for flat rooftops, including green and gravel roofs.

The prefabricated system consists of four OES64-EU modules arranged vertically. According to the manufacturer, the lightweight design allows unobstructed access for roof inspection, maintenance and repairs. The company offers different support feet for conventional flat roofs, green roofs, gravel surfaces and applications in regions with heavy snowfall.

Each xM-3 Quarttro-256S unit covers 2.31 m² of roof area and weighs approximately 28.4 kg, corresponding to an area load of around 12.2 kg/m². Depending on the support used, ground clearance ranges from 57 mm to 117 mm. The unit incorporates two 3.2 mm sheets of tempered solar glass.

The product uses silicon heterojunction (HJT) solar cells and has a bifaciality factor of 95%. It delivers 256 W at standard test conditions, with a power tolerance of around 3%. Maximum power voltage is 32.96 V and maximum power current is 7.74 A, while open-circuit voltage is 39 V and short-circuit current is 8.04 A. The maximum system voltage is 1,000 V DC.

The module has a power temperature coefficient of -0.24%/C and an operating temperature range of -40 C to 85 C.

Over Easy Solar lists a design load of 1,600 Pa, with a safety factor of 1.5, corresponding to 2,400 Pa. The junction box and connectors are rated IP68, while the product has Class II electrical protection and Class B fire safety.

The manufacturer said 27 units, representing 6.9 kWp of capacity, can be shipped on a single pallet measuring 2,070 mm × 1,600 mm × 1,255 mm.

Several mounting options are available for different rooftop applications, including the STD 60 for conventional flat roofs, the BIO 120 for green roofs, and the STD 125 for gravel roofs or locations with heavy snowfall.

The company specifies first-year power degradation of 1%, followed by annual degradation of 0.583%. The product comes with a 15-year product warranty and a 25-year power-output warranty. Its reference service life in the EPD is also 25 years.

The system is certified to IEC/EN 61215 and IEC/EN 61730 standards, among others, while the datasheet also lists UL 61730 certification. Wind-load calculations are available according to standards covering several European markets, as well as the United States, Canada, Japan and South Korea.

The product is manufactured in China, with the EPD modeling distribution to Norway.

The post appeared first on pv magazine Global.