Green is the new black, and solar panels are exploding in popularity. But before you throw an eco-friendly, energy-efficient solar panel system up on your roof, it's worth thinking everything through. It's glaringly obvious in hindsight, but most people - us included, at the beginning - don't give a thought to the fact that they're planning to install that expensive solar energy collection with a life expectancy of a generation or two atop a roof covering that only has a fraction of that lifespan remaining. True story! We've seen state-of-the-art solar collection systems costing more than $30,000 mounted on $5,000 roofs already halfway through their 20-year life expectancy. We've had to explain to homeowners why the cost of replacing their roof will be double what it would otherwise cost because their solar panel assembly has to be de-commissioned, removed, reinstalled and re-commissioned - something no one wants to hear. Ever.

Installing solar panels on a roof is a very popular trend - and growing in popularity. One of the most overlooked aspects of this type of upgrade to a home or business is the type of roof material over which the new solar panels will be installed. Does it make sense to anyone to attach an expensive, hi-tech solar collection system to a roof that won't last as long as the panels? I can't imagine anyone answering that question positively, but I see it all the time. Bad enough that some solar panel installations are installed on new roofs with a proven poor track record (asphalt composition, anyone?), but it has to be even less rational to install a new solar system on an older roof that isn't far from the end of its service life.