You can never have too much of a good thing. And for McElroy Metal,
one of the metal construction industry’s leading producers of metal roofing and siding, that means solar power generation. After successfully integrating solar panel arrays on the roofs of plants in Georgia and California, the company went for
the trifecta and also placed panels on the roof of its manufacturing facility in Clinton, IL.
In Illinois, Inovateus Solar installed 1,116 Hanwha Q-Plus L-G42 350W panels on the roof of the Clinton plant. The system is rated at 390.6 kW DC, has five inverters and is designed for an annual output of 829,289 kWh.
“We’re very excited about the addition of solar panels to a third manufacturing facility in conjunction with the roof recover,” says Ken Gieseke, Vice President – Marketing at McElroy Metal. “Once we did the math, calculated
the return on the investment, it simply made sense to install the solar panels. McElroy Metal remains dedicated to being an advocate for solar energy.”
The original R-panel metal roofing on the plant, constructed in the 1970s, was recovered by McElroy Metal’s 238T symmetrical standing seam roofing. Solar panels were attached to the new roofing using S-5! clamps.
“McElroy Metal has been a respected and premier metal roof and component manufacturer for three generations,” says Rob Haddock, founder and CEO of S-5!. “Just like S-5!, they got there by setting the highest standards of quality and
integrity for themselves and for their vendors. As both companies are leaders in the metal construction industry, we have had the privilege of working alongside McElroy in many venues, industry trade groups and supply relationships now spanning almost
40 years. Not only are they a valued S-5! customer and distribution partner, but close friends, industry advocates, allies and activists. Two premier brands, McElroy and S-5!, have both raised the bar in making metal roofs better, and together again,
with the addition of solar power on their third S-5! solarized project. I am sure we both look forward to the next one.”
A variety of S-5! products were used in attaching the solar panels to the standing seam roofing, including 1,800 S-5-T clamps, specifically designed to fit profiles with a “T” shaped seam configuration, and 850 RibBracket II clamps, which
are made for attaching to trapezoidal roof profiles.
In addition, 2,050 MidGrab clamps and 410 EdgeGrab clamps from the S-5! PVKIT 2.0 were also used. The PVKIT 2.0 is comprised of pre-assembled components to save time and money that require the use of only one tool for installation. All parts are made
of non-corrosive aluminum and stainless steel and install with the module to reduce layout time.
McElroy’s 238T symmetrical standing seam system does not have male and female seams, but is comprised of panels with matching left and right seams. The panels are joined with a mechanically seamed cap. The panels are non-directional and can be installed
left to right, right to left or even center to right or left. In addition to installation benefits, symmetrical panels offer easy individual panel removal and replacement for easy plenum access. Panels can even be re-installed, requiring only the
purchase and installation of a new cap.
The 238T metal roofing panels were roll formed on site, run directly on to the roof and installed by Prairieland Roofing of Arthur, IL.