How to take solar panels off for a new roof — and put them back
A roof with a solar array on it can't be re-roofed until the panels come down, and everything that comes down has to go back up when the shingles are done. The FUEL Solar Lift lowers and raises panels off a standard Grade 1 aluminum extension ladder: a 27 lb (12.2 kg) system a two-person crew sets up in about five minutes, covering both directions of the trip without a crane or boom call-out.
The problem
Removal is the part of a solar re-roof the usual tools aren't shaped for. A crane or boom lift answers it, but it comes with a booking, a delivery, and an invoice scaled for much bigger work, and you pay it twice because the array has to be re-mounted once the new roof is on. For a routine residential re-roof, that can double the machinery cost of the whole job.
The other route is carrying the panels down by hand, and going down is worse than coming up: a wide, stiff, wind-catching pane of glass in the arms of someone backing down rungs. One slip is a cracked module or a fall. Then the whole handling problem repeats in reverse a week later, when every stored panel has to climb back to the roof.
How the FUEL Solar Lift handles it
The FUEL Solar Lift mounts to a standard Grade 1 aluminum extension ladder and works in both directions. After a qualified electrician disconnects the array, the roof operator loads panels one at a time and the ground operator lowers each under the control of an auto-locking pulley, which captures the load at every pause so a slipped grip can't drop a module. The panels stack on the ground, the roof gets torn off and re-shingled, and the same lift raises everything back up for re-mounting. Setup is about five minutes, nothing gets booked or delivered, and the lift stays on site so the re-lift starts the moment the roof is ready. The electrician reconnects, and the array is back in service.
A re-roof under solar is really three jobs: take the array down, replace the roof, put the array back. The first and third are the same job in opposite directions, and a lift that works both ways turns them into a routine.
- Down is as controlled as up. The one-way auto-locking pulley captures the load whenever the ground operator pauses, so a panel descends in steady, held stages instead of riding in someone’s arms down the rungs.
- The crane cost disappears from both ends of the job. The usual machinery bill lands twice, once to remove and once to re-mount. At 27 lb (12.2 kg), the lift arrives in the truck, stays on site through the re-roof, and covers both trips.
- The re-lift starts on your schedule. There’s no machine to book for the day the shingles are done. The moment the roof is ready, the same setup raises the stored panels back to the eave.
- Single-panel swaps stop being a project. A damaged module comes down and its replacement goes up with the same tool, which is practical for warranty swaps and O&M visits where a call-out never made sense.
Related options
For roofers
The same lift as an everyday material hoist for roofing crews: tools and materials up and down the ladder, no solar required.
Read more →vs. a crane or boom truck
When a crane earns its call-out, and why it's overkill for an array that just needs to come down and go back up.
Read more →vs. carrying panels by hand
The safety case against climbing with a panel in hand, up or down.
Read more →Two-story installs
The same lift covering second-story height on the way up.
Read more →Will it fit the ladder?
The verified Grade 1 aluminum extension ladders the lift works with — check before you buy.
Read more →Frequently asked questions
How do you remove solar panels to replace a roof?
First a qualified electrician disconnects the array. Then the panels come down one at a time, by crane, by hand, or with a portable hoist. The FUEL Solar Lift lowers them off a standard Grade 1 aluminum extension ladder under the control of an auto-locking pulley, with a two-person crew and about five minutes of setup. The panels are stored while the roof is replaced, the same lift raises them back up, and the electrician reconnects.
Can one tool both lower the panels and lift them back up?
Yes. The FUEL Solar Lift raises and lowers with the same setup, so removal and reinstall are the same trip in opposite directions. There's no crane booked at the start of the job and a second time at the end; the 27 lb (12.2 kg) lift just stays on site between the two.
What about replacing a single damaged panel?
The lift handles that too. A cracked or failed module comes down under the control of the auto-locking pulley and the replacement goes up the same way, off a ladder you already own. A single-panel swap is hard to justify a crane call-out for, which makes the lift a practical tool for warranty swaps and O&M visits as well as full removals.
Who disconnects the solar panels before removal?
A qualified electrician. The FUEL Solar Lift handles the physical move of lowering the panels and lifting them back, while the electrical disconnect before removal and the reconnect after reinstall are electrician's work. Book the electrician for the start and end of the job.
What ladder do I need to lower solar panels off a roof?
A Grade 1 aluminum extension ladder tall enough to reach the eave. The FUEL Solar Lift mounts to verified Grade 1 aluminum extension ladders; fiberglass and Grade 1A ladders are not compatible. The verified models are listed on our compatible-ladders page.
Ready to own the lift?
Own the lift once and set up in minutes on your next install.