Pegasus has introduced an extension to its Rail System that eliminates entire rows of rail, mounts, clamps and roof penetrations from most rooftop solar installations. With a single new part, SkipRail saves solar installers 11,000 feet of rail, 1500 roof penetrations, and five tons of material, per crew, per year.
Since introducing its first products in 2014, Pegasus has changed the experience of solar installation, designing over 20 patented innovations, now installed on over 150,000 homes, that deliver a “better day on the job.” With SkipRail, Pegasus is set to usher in a new era of solar installation.
Huge savings
An extension of the Pegasus Rail System, the SkipRail clamp is a single part that dramatically speeds installation and saves enormous amounts of material. The SkipRail clamp eliminates entire rows of rail, mounts, clamps and roof penetrations.
“Contractors will see transformational productivity gains,” said Pegasus CEO Kai Stephan. “For a typical crew, every year SkipRail saves 10,000 pounds of material to ship, haul and lift up ladders. It eliminates the warehousing, transport and installation of two miles of rail. Most significantly, it removes the effort and risk of drilling, mounting and sealing 1,500 roof penetrations. That’s per crew!”
Pegasus engineers developed the SkipRail concept over four years. It leverages excess strength that PV manufacturers build into PV modules in order to sell and distribute the same panel nationwide, from hurricane zones and mountain regions to moderate suburbs.
The SkipRail system – rated for up to 160 mph winds and snow loads up to 40 psf – allows installers to eliminate rails three, five, seven and so on, from installations in most of the country. For homes in higher-load geographies, installers simply use Pegasus Rail with the standard dual-rail method.
One system for everywhere
“SkipRail optimizes the Pegasus Rail System installers already use,” said Kai. “That’s why there’s practically no learning curve. With just one SKU, installers instantly realize a profound savings in material and labor.”
SkipRail works on any pitched roof type (composition shingle, tile, metal, etc.), low and steep slopes, and both portrait and landscape arrays. It is easily configurable to work around roof obstructions such as vents.
SkipRail maintains all the advantages of the Pegasus Rail System, such as open-channel wire management and click-in parts. At the same time, it introduces significant new benefits. For example, SkipRail automatically levels and bonds panels row-to-row, eliminating labor-intensive steps.
Additionally, installers can use the Pegasus Design Tool to rapidly configure SkipRail arrays, streamline the design and engineering processes and immediately calculate project savings.
Contractors and installers are calling SkipRail “a complete game changer” and “a massive improvement.” One customer even said it offers “new hope for the future of solar.”
SkipRail is now available from solar distributors nationwide.
