Curious how you guys have been handling this. I am running into situations where I am being asked to review existing buildings for an additional dead load from solar panels attached to the standing seam roof by S-5 clips and a rail system. In some cases the building was considered heated for the original design. When solar panels are installed and they cover a significant amount of the roof I have been considering the roof to be unheated since the panels are usually off the roof by 6" or more. On the other hand I have been told that photovoltaic panels generate heat when in operation. Is it too conservative to consider the roof unheated? Is there any standard which addresses this condition?
Thanks
Thanks