Owners of commercial buildings wanting to use solar power but hampered by rooftop weight restrictions have a new option for installation.

SolarCity recently introduced a new roof mounting product for its customers for commercial rooftop solar installations.  Commercial building rooftops have strict codes specifying weight constraints to comply with safety codes. According to SolarCity the average weight of a conventional solar photovoltaic (PV) panels is about 3 to 4 pounds per square-foot. LightMount recues the weight to 2.3 pounds per square foot, which maximizes the space for solar.

The new LightMount’s weight is distributed across the racking system instead of fastening the panels directly on to the roof, said Erik Fogelberg, senior director of commercial sales for SolarCity in an email interview. LightMount uses standard roofing materials and applications to attach the PV mounting system to the roofing system, he said. It doesn’t require ballasts to hold the system to the roof of the building.

“Many commercial users want to switch to solar energy to meet their company’s sustainability goals,” Fogelberg said in a press release. “LightMount addresses the concerns faced by a lot of commercial users who can now qualify to install a solar system, or maximize the use of their rooftop space to deploy a larger solar system.”

Some commercial customers who lease space are not allowed to make building changes that penetrate the roof or walls. LightMount is a non-penetrating racking product bonded to the rooftop creating a monolithic foundation for the solar system- the perfect solution for those wanting solar power, but are unable to alter the building.

LightMount is designed for use on low slope commercial buildings of any size, he said.

The product has been in development for more than two years, Fogelberg said.

SolarCity adheres to commercial building and safety codes. It handles all aspects of solar implementation from design to auditing to permitting to monitoring and maintenance for the solar systems for the lifetime of the contract. SolarCity serves 14 states and, according to a press release, signs a new customer every five minutes.