Zep Solar, based in San Rafael, California, is a manufacturer of solar photovoltaic (PV) mounting and grounding equipment. Zep Solar was founded by entrepreneur and inventor Jack West in 2009.[1] Zep Solar was acquired by SolarCity, the largest solar power provider in the US, in 2013, and operated as an independent business unit of SolarCity[2] until SolarCity was acquired by Tesla in 2016.[3] Tesla continues to manufacture and sell products originally developed by Zep Solar.[4]
Zep Solar is best known for inventing a "railless" system that allows PV installers to install solar panels on the roof more quickly than other installation approaches.[5] Traditionally, solar panel installation had required workers to first outfit roofs with mounting rails and then attach solar panels to those rails. Zep Solar's technology allows installers to mount solar panels without rails on many roof types.[6][7]
History
Jack West, President & CTO of Zep Solar, was inspired as a college student to end reliance on fossil fuels and then subsequently worked from 1990 to 2009 as a solar engineer designing and installing PV systems.[8] West founded Zep Solar in 2009, along with Daniel Flanigan and Christina Manansala.[9]
In 2010, Zep Solar was recognized as a top ten finalist for solar innovation by the Intersolar Award Panel at Intersolar Europe[10] In September 2011, as part of the SunShot Initiative BOS-X: Extreme Balance of System Hardware Cost Reduction funding opportunity, Zep Solar was awarded a grant to develop mounting technology for the commercial and utility-scale markets.[11]
Products
Zep Solar licenses the design of its grooved frame to solar manufacturers for incorporation into solar panels, then manufactures hardware that allows the panels to be installed on a roof.[12] Solar panels that include a Zep Solar frame are referred to as Zep Compatible™ PV modules.[13] Zep licenses its technology to a range of manufacturers that include Trina Solar, Canadian Solar, Yingli Solar, JA Solar, Sharp Solar, and others.[6]
Commercial
ZS Peak is a mounting system for commercial flat roofs that provides snap-together hardware and an east-west layout configuration that can increase the total number of solar panels on the roof when compared to a south-facing layout.[5]
ZS Beam uses a clamp for connecting solar panels to carports from below, rather than above.[14]
Residential
Zep Solar offers products for residential PV applications: ZS Comp, for composition-shingle roofs, and ZS Tile and ZS Span for tile roof applications.[15]
