Green Efficiency Meets Technical Precision: The Future of Urban Solar

As climate change intensifies summer heat in urban areas, cities are increasingly turning from concrete to greenery to enhance living conditions. This has led to a surge in the popularity of green roofs, which not only create a more pleasant urban climate but also offer significant benefits for biodiversity.

Recognizing this vital trend, German manufacturer PMT (Premium Mounting Technologies) has introduced an innovative solution: PMT EVO GREEN, a mounting system designed specifically to combine the benefits of green roofs with the power of photovoltaics.

This new system is more than just a mounting solution; it’s a tailored response to the specific challenges and opportunities of green roof photovoltaics.

A Foundation of Trust: The PMT EVO 2.1

To understand the innovation of PMT EVO GREEN, its essential to look at its foundation: the proven PMT EVO 2.1 mounting system. This system is known for its sustainable quality, high flexibility, and uncompromising safety.

A key feature is its specially developed ProPlates, which optimize load distribution across the roof while reducing point loads. This is especially crucial for buildings with limited load-bearing capacity, enabling more property owners to adopt renewable energy.

These same ProPlates are now integrated into the PMT EVO GREEN system. Their contoured design allows them to anchor securely into gravel or vegetated surfaces, stabilizing the system while minimizing added weight and preserving more space for greenery.

Solving the Unique Challenges of Green Roofs

Photovoltaic systems on green roofs must not only deliver maximum energy output but also provide sufficient space for healthy vegetation growth and maintenance. PMT EVO GREEN addresses these challenges with several innovative features:

• Integrated Ballast: Instead of traditional blocks, the system uses PMT ballast trays. These trays serve a dual purpose: they hold the substrate needed for the roof greenery while also providing structural support for the PV system, allowing it to blend seamlessly into the green environment.
• Flexible Module Heights: The main base profile can be combined with connecting profiles, allowing for highly flexible planning of module heights to ensure plants have the space they need to thrive.
• Uncompromising Stability: Despite its adaptability, the system is incredibly rigid. Our connections of the cross and ballast struts make this a very rigid system that can easily withstand even high wind and snow loads, explains Sarah Spörl, Head of Product and Project Management. As with all our systems, this one was rigorously wind tunnel tested.

Optimizing Space for Maximum Solar Power

Flexibility is key to maximizing energy generation on complex rooftops.

Previously, an east-west layout was often the only option, limiting the use of space around obstacles like chimneys or fans. PMT EVO GREEN introduces an open-roof design where modules can be installed with an open ridge, allowing individual modules to be omitted where needed. As Sarah Spörl notes, We can simply leave out a module to make better use of the available roof area.

The system adds even more flexibility by supporting:

• Modules up to 1305 mm in width.
• Both portrait and landscape module orientations to match manufacturer specifications.
• Fully customizable maintenance walkways, allowing building owners to decide on the length, placement, and accessibility for ongoing care of both the vegetation and the solar panels.

Simplicity, Safety, and Certified Quality

PMT has ensured that technical excellence remains a top priority.

The system features a click-connection system that enables fast, secure, and safer installation with fewer screw connections a valuable feature on complex green roof layouts.

On the safety front:

• Approval from the German building authorities (abZ) has been applied for, giving planners and owners the assurance of a tested solution.
• The substructure has been tested for lightning current carrying capacity (DIN EN 62561-1).
• Its low-resistance connection has been verified to ensure electrical safety and optimal performance (DIN VDE 0100-540 and DIN VDE 0100-712).

We place great value on ongoing dialogue with our customers and actively incorporate their feedback, says Dr. Bodo Krebs, Chief Executive Officer. Thats how we identified the growing demand for green roof solutions early on and responded quickly.

By combining the proven strengths of the EVO 2.1 system with features designed for vegetated roofs, PMT EVO GREEN is setting a new benchmark in this rapidly expanding market.