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Schletter Germany
Schletter United Kingdom
Schletter France
Schletter Italy
Schletter Spain
Schletter Czechoslovakia
Schletter Greece
Schletter United States
Schletter Canada
Schletter China
Schletter Korea
Schletter Japan
Schletter Australia
- What does Schletter do internationally?
- How long has Schletter Inc. been in the U.S?
- What's the Schletter Philosophy?
- Do all Schletter Products ship from Germany?
- Do I have to buy the Schletter products through a distributor?
- Does Schletter have a ISO certification?
- How many MW has Schletter installed worldwide?
- Is Schletter a public traded company?
- How long has Schletter been in the solar business?
- What makes Schletter different from its competitors and other PV-mounting companies?
- What are Schletter's general office hours?
1. What does Schletter do internationally?
- Employees 1,800 worldwide
- Manufacturing sites:
- Germany
- Tucson USA
- Windsor Canada
- Shanghai China
- Distribution and service locations
- Italy
- Spain
- France
- United Kingdom
- Australia
- Greece
2. How long has Schletter Inc. been in the U.S?
- Founded in 2007 with just three employees
- Currently over 200 coworkers are part of Schletter Inc. U.S
- We have manufactured more than 400 MW of installed PV systems to date
- Largest projects delivered is 60 MW (within 3 month)
- Largest project under construction currently is 150 MW
- Current daily output ~ 1 to 1.5 MW
- With the current production schedule, we can produce about 4 MW of mounting systems per day.
- In addition to the sales and manufacturing office in Tucson, we have remote sales offices in:
- Connecticut
- Virginia
- New Jersey
3. What's the Schletter Philosophy?
- We believe in producing high quality products, with as short a turnaround time for our customers as possible – while keeping costs low.
- Being manufactured in the U.S. we are ARRA compliant.
- Schletter knows that by reducing installation time for our customers, this will in turn save them money.
- Provide exceptional customer service.
- Create local jobs in the communities we manufacture in and sell to.
- Being a part of the renewable energy industry, Schletter believes that responsible manufacturing includes being an energy efficient manufacturer. Our equipment is highly energy efficient.
- Creating a safe, enjoyable work environment for our employees.
4. Do all Schletter Products ship from Germany?
No. Schletter is proud to be a U.S. manufacturer. All of our products are manufacturer in the U.S. and the raw materials we use to produce our steel and aluminum components are sourced in the U.S.
5. Do I have to buy Schletter products through a distributor?
No. Schletter does work with distributors but there is no exclusivity of customers to them. Price discounts on products are determined by purchasing quantity of a customer over a certain period of time. (Volume discounts)
7. How many MW has Schletter installed worldwide?
We lost count at some point but running the numbers over the last years we are sure that we have delivered racking material for more than 6 GW of installed solar power.
10. What makes Schletter different from its competitors and other PV-mounting companies?
- Schletter has more than 40 years of experience in aluminum and steel.
- 20 years in solar racking business.
- Large variety of applications in our portfolio.
- Innovation: Over the years our systems have evolved to meet our customer's installation needs, resulting in easy-to-install systems today.
- Thorough and efficent engineering, racks are developed to meet the requirements of the modules.
- Pre-assembly of major components.
- Suppliers all across the US keep transportation costs low.
- End to end engineering on all our systems.
- Testing and finite elements method used on all our components.
- ISO 9001:2008 certified (Quality Management).
- Wiring management systems that perfectly fit the racking.
- 10 year Warranty
11. What are Schletter's general office hours?
- We are open weekdays from 7am - 5pm
- (520) 289 - 8700
- 3761 E. Farnum Place, Tucson AZ 85706 - Map This Location
- Contact us at Mail@schletter.us
- What products does Schletter feature?
- To what wind load are Schletter mounting systems certified or rated?
- What tilt range can the mounting systems be adjusted to?
- Does Schletter offer tracking systems?
- Can the Schletter mounting systems be used with any solar module on the market?
- Have Schletter mounting systems gone through wind tunnel testing?
- To what depth does the post on the ground mounted system usually need to be driven to?
- Is it possible to judge the embedment depth of the post on the FS System just from a geotechnical report?
- Can the FS System be used in a residential application?
- Does Schletter have a solution for landfills?
- What is the expected lifetime of the Schletter racking systems?
- Is the post of the ground mounted FS System galvanized?
- Can Schletter racking systems be used in marine atmosphere?
- Is the Rapid Clamp certified?
- What is the torque for a bolt?
- Does the PV Spin™ have a motor?
1. What products does Schletter feature?
- Carport Solutions
- Ground mounts with and without concrete
- Ballasted and pier driven ground mounts
- Ballasted roof top
- Penetrating roof top
- Seasonal adjustment systems
- Customized solutions
2. To what wind load are Schletter mounting systems certified or rated?
There is no specific wind rating for solar mounting systems. Any mounting system can be designed to withstand wind loads of 240 mph and beyond. It is not a question of the mounting systems but a question of the costs and whether a building is capable of taking the loads aligned with a design for those wind loads. Also the modules usually do not withstand heavy wind loads.
3. What tilt range can the mounting systems be adjusted to?
Schletter racks can be designed to any tilt from 0° to 90°.
4. Does Schletter offer tracking systems?
No. Schletter has decided not to enter the market of sun tracking systems. Experience from the European market has shown that the added energy gained from tracking systems does not offset the maintenance costs, upfront costs, costs associated with system failure, and overall loss of energy production from downtime. Schletter has developed the FS Vario, which offers seasonal adjustment of the system through none motorized methods. Not yet available in the U.S., but coming in late 2011.
5. Can the Schletter mounting systems be used with any solar module on the market?
Yes. Schletter racks are capable of carrying any module.
6. Have Schletter mounting systems gone through wind tunnel testing?
Yes. Schletter has performed very thorough third party wind tunnel testing.
7. To what depth does the post on the ground mounted system usually need to be driven to?
About 4 to 8 feet
8. Is it possible to judge the embedment depth of the post on the FS System just from a geotechnical report?
- No. To get accurate results and an accurate embedment depth practical tests have to be performed on each single project site. The costs for these tests are included in the pricing of the FS System.
- Basing the embedment depth only on geotechnical reports is very conservative and the actual needed embedment depth that is come up with is always too deep as many safety factors are integrated in such an attempt of depth design and many things are assumed to conservatively. Especially on larger systems that often means that too much material is sold as the embedment depth was judged to deep.
9. Can the FS System be used in a residential application?
Yes. Many of our customers have done so. Instead of driving the posts with a special machine it is possible to concrete the posts into the ground.
10. Does Schletter have a solution for landfills?
Yes. The PvMax3 is a ballasted ground mount system and is an excellent choice for landfills. With concrete foundations, the main application for this system are landfills and terrain that is lacking top soil and/or soil where the sealing membrane is not able to be penetrated.
11. What is the expected lifetime of the Schletter racking systems?
Aluminum has a life-span of about 600 years. The galvanized and stainless steel parts we use in the systems are designed to last at least 50 years.
12. Is the post of the ground mounted FS System galvanized?
- Yes the post is galvanized with a G235 coating to ensure the lifetime of the post during the long application a PV system is build for.
- We use a hot dip galvanizing. The post is galvanized after all holes have been drilled and everything is cut. This results in an advantage of a closed galvanized coating.
- Many use pre-bend galvanized steel for their steel parts in a solar system. This has the advantage of being a little less expensive but the overweighing disadvantage of having cut edges and drilled holes exposed to the weather with no galvanizing on them as the drilling and cutting is done afterwards which in the end means corrosion will start much faster.
13. Can Schletter racking systems be used in marine atmosphere?
Yes. The Schletter components are salt-water-fog-spray tested and have passed this test.
14. Is the Rapid Grounding Middle Clamp certified?
Yes. The Rapid Clamp is ETL Listed. The ETL Listed Mark is assurance that the product is compliant with safety standards, having been tested and certified by a third-party organization.
15. What is the torque for a bolt?
| Bolt Size | Maximum Torque (Nm) | Maximum Torque (ft-lbs) |
| M8 | 18 | 13 |
| M10 | 41 | 30 |
| M12 | 70 | 52 |
| M16 | 135 | 99 |
| Rapid Clamp 2+ | 14 | 10.5 |
16. Does the PV Spin™ have a motor?
No. The PV Spin Module Cleaner is the first of its kind; a consistently
effective, easy-to-handle module cleaning system
powered exclusively by water pressure. PvSpin works on the basis of two durable rubber
brushes rotating in opposite directions, removing dirt
and other contaminants from the module surface.
- What is included in the Schletter pricing?
- What is the Warranty on the Schletter racking?
- What is the general lead time for Schletter products to arrive on site?
- Does Schletter test the soil of a project to corrosiveness?
- Do I need a special machine to get the FS posts into the ground?
- Does Schletter lease the pile driving machine out to customers and offer training for it?
- Are Schletter engineers capable of recalculating a building to verify whether it is suitable for a PV installation?
- Why does Schletter mainly use aluminum components instead of steel? Is steel more expensive?
- What is the general mounting time of the ground mounted FS System?
- Does Schletter train installation crews on the set up of the racking?
- What is the general lead time to schedule the pull out tests on site?
- What information do I need to submit to receive a quote?
- How do I gain access to the client login? What features does it offer?
- Can I buy a single component?
1. What is included in the Schletter pricing?
- All the material for the mounting systems as well as the clamping components for the modules.
- Wet stamps on the structural calculations and drawings from a third party structural PE licensed in the State of the project.
- Pre-assembly of major racking components.
- For ground mounted systems: Geotechnical report and pull out tests are included in pricing.
2. What is the Warranty on the Schletter racking?
Standard 10-year warranty on all materials with an optional 20-year warranty.
3. What is the general lead time for Schletter products to arrive on site?
We try to be as fast as required in being on site and performing these tests. Maximum lead time will not exceed 2 weeks. For ground mounted systems: Geotechnical report and pull out tests are included in pricing.
4. Does the Schletter test the soil of a project to corrosiveness? Does this cost extra?
Schletter does test the soil for corrosiveness. For projects over 250 kW there is no additional charge for this service, however a deposit is required and it will be credited back to the total invoice. For projects under 250 kW, soil testing is an additional charge.
5. Do I need a special machine to get the FS posts into the ground?
- Not necessarily a special machine as many pile drivers can do the work. However a tool is needed that has the shape of our posts. Our posts have a special shape allowing for secure positioning in the soil and a reduced embedment depth. Whether the GAYK hydraulic ram is used, which Schletter supplies, or another tool, ease of maneuverability throughout the jobsite should be considered. Alternatively, the PVMax System uses concrete footings which sit atop the ground, and do not require pile driving.
- Schletter has a program for renting and purchasing GAYK rams.
6. Does Schletter lease the pile driving machine out to customers and offer training for it?
Yes. The GAYK hydraulic ram may be purchased or rented (leased) by customers on a monthly basis, and there is training available for it.
7. Are Schletter engineers capable of recalculating a building to verify whether it is suitable for a PV installation?
Yes. Schletter engineers are capable of recalculating buildings to verify whether it can hold up to the loads of a PV system. However this is an additional charge for the customer. For this we use an independent third party engineer to ensure the accuracy of the calculations by an independent source.
8. Why does Schletter mainly use aluminum components instead of steel? Is steel not less expensive?
- Steel is less expensive to buy on the commodity market compared to aluminum. It is about 3 times less expensive. However, aluminum is about 3 times of lighter weight. This eliminates the cost differences.
- It is easier to handle aluminum on the construction site which saves many labor costs. Especially on large scale systems the handling of the material is is a cost driver.
- Aluminum can be shaped and designed to unique applications. In times of searching for the overall lowest system costs its important to reduce labor. This can be achieved by for example clicking things into place. Unique features can be created with aluminum which would never work with steel.
- Transportation costs are lowered using aluminum as it is much lighter.
- Aluminum has a structural advantage in PV applications compared to steel. It is more flexible but at the same time not flimsy. It is important to find the sweet spot between stiffness and flexibility in a PV system looking at it from a structural point of view to protect the most valuable (or most expensive) component of your system – the module. This can only be achieved with aluminum.
9. What is the general mounting time of the ground mounted FS System?
This depends very much on actual site conditions. In general it can be said that an experienced crew of 8 people can mount 1 MW of the FS System in 10 days. (Driving the posts, setting up the rack and clamping the modules to the rack – no electrical work.)
10. Does Schletter train installation crews on the set up of the racking?
Yes. There are several ways that we offer to train the installation crews. That can be done at our facility in Tucson, AZ or we also come out to the site to set up a couple of racks together with the customer. On larger systems this service is complementary on small systems we need to charge for this service. We offer this service for the first couple of jobs to our customers.
11. What is the general lead time to schedule the pull out tests on site?
We try to be as fast as required in being on site and performing these tests. Maximum lead time will not exceed 2 weeks.
12. What information do I need to submit to receive a quote?
- The best place to start is by completing and submitting a project checklist.
- What kind of system are you planning? Ground mount? Roof top? Ballasted roof top? Penetrating roof top? Flush mount?
- What modules are you using?
- Are the modules framed or unframed?
- What are the module dimensions (height, width, thickness)
- How many modules are in one string?
- What tilt would you like the modules to be at?
- What are the design wind loads?
- What are the design snow loads?
- Flat roof ballasted systems:
- How high is the building?
- Is there a parapet? If yes how high?
- What additional loads per sft is the roof capable of handling?
- What is the roof decking?
- Penetrating roof top?
- How high is the building?
- Parapet?
- How far are carrying members of the roof structure spaced apart?
- What direction do the trusses and substructure rails run? East-West or North-South?
- Please provide a plan of the roof structure showing exact dimensions.
13. How do I gain access to the client login? What features does it offer?
The client login is provided for current customers only. To apply, fill out the form on the Registration Page. Approval may take up to two business days. The client login contains our residential software calculator, CAD drawings for components, and project documents.
14. Can I buy a single component?
Yes. Singular parts can be ordered by contacting a sales representative at (520) 289 - 8730. If you are located close to Tucson, Schletter offers will call for certain components. Call us at (520) 289 - 8700 to order, then stop by the Schletter manufacturing facility to pick up the component.