Hail is devastating to solar panels.
They also make fighting a house fire MUCH more difficult. The firefighters have to de-energize the panels first. Then they struggle to cut holes in the roof to ventilate the attic and house. I suspect that increased fire risk may be the root cause of the insurance premium hikes or outright cancellations.
So you have higher roof leak potential, hail damage possibility, and increased fire risk. What’s not to like?
I don’t care how much solar panel manufacturers try to persuade homeowners that blanketing your roof with an extra layer of hole-mounted structures to a roof makes good sense, the real factor is long-lasting, water-tight installation, proper maintenance AND the cost of replacing whatever roof covering underneath is, not to mention any damage from hail, etc.
If you don’t have the real estate to install that stuff away from your home proper, then bypass it, IMO.
The hail, you say. Solar panels will NEVER replace asphalt shingles for either longevity or rain resistance, and they may even require a STRONGER substrate than rafters and OSB sheeting adequate for asphalt shingles alone.
And how are solar panels mounted on a clay tile roof without busting the tiles all to bits in the process?
It would have to be some big-ass hail. Mine have been thru a lot in 10 years. Still look perfect.
We don’t have a lot of hail in Florida but every now and then we get some nasty high winds...