First Sun-Root™ System Installed In North America

May 22, 2012 - PRLog -- Baltimore, Maryland.  On 29 March 2012, Green Roof Technology, in partnership with Highview Creations, installed the first Sun-Root™ Solar Green Roof in New York City.  The new Sun-Root™ System is located at City of New York Parks & Recreation’s 5-Boro Administrative Building on Randall’s Island.  

The Sun-Root™ System is the newest green roof technology to reach North America.  Designed and tested in Germany, the Sun-Root™ System combines a non-penetrative PV mounting module with an extensive green roof.  The Sun-Root™ module is made from deep-drawn recycled HDPE and performs two key functions in the system assembly; it provides an optimal mounting angle on any flat roof and retains stormwater to alleviate wastewater facilities and protect nearby waterways.  The non-penetrative mounting method assures that no leaks will occur during or after installation of the solar panel array.

The module is held in place by a super-imposed load (i.e. the overlying green roof) and does not require any penetration of the roof’s waterproof membrane.  The overlying extensive green roof promotes cooling through the evaporation of stormwater and the vegetation’s transpiration acts to significantly cool the ambient temperatures surrounding the photovoltaic panels.  The cooling effect of the Sun-Root™ System is dramatic.  It can reduce ambient roof top temperatures by over 80°F and significantly improves the efficiency of the PV panels’ energy production.

“I have been working with green roofs for almost 3 decades now and this is the most exciting time in my career,’ said Jörg Breuning, Principal of Green Roof Technology.  ‘The installation of the first Sun-Root™ System in New York City is a watershed change in the industry.  The 5-Boro building is home to the largest urban green roof testing site in the country we wanted to bring our technology there to be seen by the public.  The green roof market grew over 115% last year, but this is still only the very beginning.  Growing up and working in Germany I have seen how green roofs can become the norm, with most flat-roofed city buildings covered in vegetation.  Our Sun-Root™ System is one more tool to help alleviate the environmental problems currently afflicting cities throughout North America.”

The ‘Sun-Root’ System is a straight-forward, easy to install, built-in-place green roof.  Each Sun-Root™ module measures 32.5 square feet and is light enough to be carried one shoulder.  Each Sun-Root™ module can support multiple PV panels which can produce over 350 W of electricity.

The Sun-Root™ System is exclusively sold through Green Roof Technology.  Visit GRT’s website, www.greenrooftechnology.com, to view more information on the Sun-Root™ System or call 443.345.1578 to speak to a GRT designer.  

Watch a short video about this technology at youtube.com/greenrooftechnology.  

Green Roof Technology is a renowned ecological design firm specializing in ground-remote vegetation and environmental master planning.  The firm works passionately to restore biodiversity to the urban built environment and to preserve healthy ecosystems through the integration of living infrastructure.

Highview Creations is a green roof installation and maintenance company with a primary goal of bringing nature back into the city.  The company strives to introduce plants and living systems into the urban environments through the implementation of green roof technologies.  These technologies help reduce pollutants from reaching the waterways and increasing the quality of life in surrounding areas.