August 15, 2008

North Andover, MA, USA: PanelClaw Introduces New Flat Roof Photovoltaic Mounting System

PanelClaw™ Inc., a Massachusetts based manufacturer of photovoltaic module mounting solutions, has announced the launch of Polar Bear, its first commercial flat roof mounting system. Polar Bear is a non-rail based, ballasted, mounting system offering features designed to save integrators, architects, inspectors, and building managers money and time:

- Only three components (support, claw, deflector) and two types of fasteners;
- Factory-installed electrical grounding allows for faster array installation;
- Tilt-up design saves time and money during installation, and array or roof maintenance.

A Recently Installed 67kW Polar Bear Roof Top System

“PanelClaw is very excited to be part of the Massachusetts renewable energy story that already includes outstanding companies such as Evergreen Solar, Solectria Renewables, and Nexamp,” states Henri-Claude Bailly, Chairman and CEO of PanelClaw.

Polar Bear will be distributed exclusively through groSolar, a US distributor and system integrator.

groSolar CEO Jeffery Wolfe: “We are excited about being PanelClaw’s exclusive distributor. When I first saw the PanelClaw prototype several months ago, they offered me a wrench and asked my sales associate and me to assemble it. We did it in no time and without instructions. Polar Bear is a superior product that will save integrators money and time and result in very flexible installations.”

Polar Bear’s commercial release was preceded by extensive independent wind tunnel testing at Colorado State University’s Wind Engineering and Fluids Laboratory; computational fluid dynamics modeling; finite element analysis; static load testing; electrical grounding standards research; and extensive Beta testing at three separate large scale commercial sites installed by Nexamp.

“Because of long lead times, mounting systems are often the bottleneck for commercial PV installers. PanelClaw’s design lends itself to efficient manufacturing and substantially reduced lead times,” states Constantino Nicolaou, PanelClaw’s General Manager.

Further details about: Polar Bear and groSolar