Kanzo gives plastic props to solar panels

Plastic mounting racks molded for South Bend, Ind.-based Kanzo Inc. are helping the solar energy industry shine brighter to a small, but important, degree, according to President Nick Kanczuzewski.

The fasteners, which are made of polycarbonate with extreme ultraviolet stabilization (PC-XUV) at 21st Century Plastics Corp. in Potterville, Mich., are designed to tilt solar panels 12.5 degrees on flat rooftops. That's slightly more slant than other racking systems and it produces more electricity, Kanczuzewski said in a telephone interview.

Kanzo rack users will get an additional 22,000 kilowatt/hours per megawatt (MW) per year compared to 10-degree racking systems, which is a common tilt in the industry, Kanczuzewski said. (One megawatt can power 164 houses.)

“In general, in the United States we have found 12.5 degrees to be the most efficient angle,” he said. “It gets you the most production out of your module. I can't say we're the only one that has 12.5 degrees, but I don't know of any other so it's relatively unique.”

Also, unique: using PC. Most solar racking systems are made of metal but a few plastics, namely polyethylene, acrylonitrile styrene acrylate (ASA) and polyphenylene oxide and polystyrene (PPO/PS), have made inroads in the last five years. Plastic racks cost less, don't corrode, and are lightweight for shipping and handling at job sites.

Kanzo started out using ASA but switched PC in an attempt to blaze a new trail, Kanczuzewski said. The company is going for UL 2703 certification and is in line to have the first classified polymer-based rack to meet the industry standard that regulates the structural and mechanical integrity.

“They do some crazy weather testing from extreme cold to extreme heat. They cycle it back and forth like 20 times, holding it at certain temperatures like -30° to 180° [F],” Kanczuzewski said. “Other materials like ASA and polyethylene can't handle it. They deform, but polycarbonate has the thermal capabilities to handle those extremes.”

To get to this point, Kanzo partnered with researchers at Chase Plastics, a resin distributor based in Clarkston, Mich.; Omni Plastics LLC, a custom compounder in South Bend; and a wind testing firm in Colorado.

“They did complete studies and our racks work in wind speeds up to 90 mph,” Kanczuzewski said.

The Kanzo system is geared toward big warehouses, distribution centers and manufacturing facilities with roofs that have 0-3 degrees of pitch. The mounting system is made up of the PC rack and a pair of stainless steel clamps. The rack has a tray to hold a ballast block — usually 34 pounds of concrete — and that anchors down the system.

Breaking into the market

Kanzo has four patents on the rack and clamps. The products have been used in about a dozen small projects in the 10 to 25 kilowatt range as well as a 130-kilowatt system on a warehouse in Indianapolis. The latter installation was part of a 10-megawatt project for Duke Realty, which is a publicly traded company that owns, manages or has an interest in 142 million square feet of rentable business space in the United States.

Kanczuzewski said Duke Realty shied away from going “full-scale Kanzo” because the product is still new but the real estate investment trust did use 690 racks to install 500 solar modules, or panels, on the warehouse.

Breaking into the market has been a challenge. Kanczuzewski said solar racking has reached the point where it's seen as a commodity but the plastic products in the market still are proving their value.

“In terms of structural integrity and strength, a lot of people doubt plastic can do the job for 25 years or so on the rooftop. That's what's expected,” he said. “Modules last 25 to 30 years. The racking system has to do the same.”

Kanzo officials expect the UL tests to help them “overcome a lot of discrimination” along with the other benefits of the system, which they say is easy to install. No nuts and bolts or other pieces are needed. A cordless drill, laser guide and torque wrench will do.

“Each rack has two clamps and that's it,” Kanczuzewski said. “If you have a good starting point with everything square and flush, you can build out the system without crazy chalk lines and all kinds of measurements. We call it an organically growing system.”

During shipping, the racks stack 120 to a pallet and 2,880 fit in a 53-foot semi-truck.

“That's like a megawatt worth of racks,” Kanczuzewski said, adding it should reduce shipping costs for customers.

In terms of product costs, he said Kanzo is competitive with the industry, which is seeing prices drop as demand grows. A 30 percent federal tax credit for residential and commercial solar energy projects has fueled much of the growth since 2006. After Dec. 31, 2016, the incentives are set to roll back to 10 percent for commercial properties and expires for residential.

Sunny outlook

The U.S. residential solar market just shattered a previous record by growing 76 percent in the first quarter of 2015 vs. the prior year, according to the U.S. Solar Market Insight Report released June 9 by GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association.

This segment grew 11 percent compared to the last quarter of 2014. The increase represents the installation of 437 megawatts of photovoltaic (PV) systems, which convert sunlight to electricity, in the first three months of the year despite the cold, snowy winter.

Across all market segments, the U.S. added 1.3 gigawatts of PV. (One gigawatt can power roughly 750,000 homes.)

“We expect another record year for the U.S. PV market in 2015, with installations reaching 7.9 [gigawatts], a 27 percent increase over 2014,” the report says. “The fastest growth will come from the residential segment, followed by the non-residential segment. Utility PV will grow the slowest compared to 2014, but will still account for well over 50 percent of all installations brought on-line for the fourth consecutive year.”