If you have solar panels on your Minneapolis home and you are starting to think about a new roof, you have probably started to ask yourself what happens to the panels? You cannot just roof around them and a roofing crew cannot simply rip them off and reinstall them. Your solar array is a live electrical system that is integrated into your roofing system and framing. In order to avoid triggering roof leaks or voiding system warranties the system should be removed carefully by an experienced solar contractor. This is the best way to preserve the value of your solar investment.
The industry term for the process is called “remove and reset” or “R & R”. A remove and reset includes removal of your solar array, storage of the equipment while your roof is serviced, reinstallation, recommissioning the system production testing, and reviewing system monitoring.
What Removal and Reset Actually Means
A solar array consists of four components: solar panels, a racking system that anchors the panels to your roof, an inverter to convert DC power to AC power, and the electrical interconnection system that allows solar based energy to power your home and feed surplus energy into the grid. A removal and reset project takes all of these components into consideration. The age of the system, availability of replacement parts, and the original system design are also critical to the successful reinstallation of the system.
The number one goal is to preserve your system and return it to full production after reinstallation. The components need to be handled with care and protected throughout the process to ensure your warranty is intact after reinstallation. Managed correctly, your system looks and performs exactly as it did before. In some cases, where a solar array has not been well maintained, the system may perform significantly better after reinstallation.
The Most Common Reason: Your Roof Needs Replacing
A solar removal project is typically triggered by a few conditions: storm damage, an aging roof, or remodeling projects that impact the home’s roofline. A typical asphalt shingle roof lasts somewhere in the range of 20 to 25 years. Most solar systems last 25 to 40 years, with most panels having a power production warranty of 20-30 years. If the panels were installed on a roof that was already a few years old the roof will likely reach the end of its useful life well before the panels.
Minnesota roofs take a beating that milder parts of the country do not. Heavy snow loads, ice dams along the eaves, freeze and thaw cycles throughout the winter, and hail/wind storms that roll in through summer. Our diverse, dare we say extreme, weather patterns can shorten a roof’s life and drive homeowners, often through their home insurance, toward a roof replacement project. When there are panels sitting on top of that roof, solar removal and reset becomes a part of the project.
You do not want to replace a roof and leave the old panels off, and you absolutely do not want a roofing crew working around a live solar array. The panels come down first, the roof gets done right, and the panels go back up.
Other Times You Need a Reset
Selling or buying a home where the roof needs work before the sale closes can put a reset on the timeline. And sometimes a homeowner simply wants the array relocated to a better roof plane for more production, or have panels be temporarily removed for a major exterior renovation/addition.
In every one of these cases, the work touches both your roof and a live electrical system, which is exactly why it needs to be handled by solar professionals.
Solar Removal & Reset Is Not a DIY Job or Roofer Project
Solar work should only be done by a solar professional because a solar array is an electrical plant, meaning it is electrically active whenever the sun is shining on the panels. Taking it down and putting it back up involves real electrical work, roof penetrations that have to be sealed correctly, and also recommissioning the system after reinstallation.
The project also includes the safe movement of the panels, racking, inverter system, etc. from the roof to the ground, and back onto the roof again. Roofing crews are not properly licensed, and are likely not insured, to perform this electrical work in Minnesota.
A proper removal and reset follows a clear sequence. The system is safely shut down and de-energized. The panels are disconnected and removed, the racking comes off, and everything is stored carefully while the roof work happens. When the new roof is on the racking is remounted with new attachments and proper sealing at every penetration and the panels are reinstalled and rewired. Once complete the system is recommissioned and production tested. The final step is to ensure the system monitoring is working and is accurate.
The quality of the reinstallation is as important as the original installation, we highlight this aspect here: what makes a quality solar installation. Proper layout, mounting, and sealing will protect your brand new roof for the next 20+ years.
Pricing Considerations
The cost of a solar removal and reset depends on the size of your array, the pitch and complexity of your roof, and whether the racking, wiring, or other components may require maintenance during the process. We can generally provide an initial estimate fairly quickly and without a site visit.
You will want to coordinate the roof replacement and the solar reset as one project rather than two separate initiatives. In some cases your roofer may want to manage the entire process to help simplify things for you as a customer. Whether you are managing the R & R in coordination with your roofer or letting the roofer handle everything, the goal should be a smooth project with consistent communication, minimal scheduling gaps, high quality expectations, and reasonably quick execution that minimizes solar production losses.
Plan the Roof and the Solar Together
If your Minneapolis roof is getting up there in age and you have solar on top of it, the time to plan is before the roof fails, rather than after a leak forces an emergency. Getting ahead of it lets you schedule the removal and reset alongside the roof work, keep your system producing as much of the year as possible, and protect both your home and solar investments at once. It is also one more reason that working with a local company who knows the Twin Cities makes the whole process easier and ensures the highest quality outcome.
Powerfully Green Solar helps homeowners across the Minneapolis–St. Paul area take control of their energy use through smart home energy systems (solar, battery storage, energy cost optimization, EV charging, etc.). If your roof is aging or storm damage is forcing a roof replacement please schedule a free assessment or talk to a specialist who can coordinate the removal and reset. When executed correctly, a removal and reset of your solar array is like a brand new installation and a mid-life solar healthcheck all in one. It will confirm your system is operating at full potential and is ready to go for many years to come!