This application relates to the ventilation of a solar roof. For example, a solar roof can include a solar roof tile and a spacer, batten or other ventilating components to space the solar roof tile from the roof deck, and provide ventilation to the solar roof tile, for reduced operating temperatures and improved efficiency in electricity generation.

In one embodiment of a tile and support structure, the tile and support structure may be configured to engage a tile such that the tile is oriented in a generally vertical plane. The support structure may include a riser tile engaged with both an upper riser support structure and a lower riser support structure.

A lighter, more cost-effective roofing system and method, which includes a rain diverting feature for directing rainwater and snowmelt away from an underlying sheet material and roof deck, is provided. The invention includes a sheet material having an upper surface and a lower surface. The upper surface includes one of a hook and loop fastener and the lower surface is configured to be attached to the roof deck. The present invention further includes a plurality of roofing tiles, each tile having hook and loop fasteners adhered to a back face which extend along the width of the tile at or near the uppermost and lowermost edges. Each rain diverting feature, which is a strip-like device with one surface made up of a plurality of hook portions and an opposing surface made up of a plurality of portions complementary to the hook portions, is positioned between and releasably attached to the hook and loop fasteners located on a side-edge portion of two adjacent tiles and the underlying sheet material, thereby releasably attaching the tiles to each other and to the upper surface of the underlying sheet material. The use of rain diverting devices to direct rainwater and snowmelt away from the underlying sheet material and roof deck allows for single lap tiling and thus less weight on the roof deck. It also allows for shorter tiles to be used, thus saving material cost.

In one aspect of a tile and support structure, a support structure may be engaged with a top portion of a pedestal. The support structure may be formed with a generally vertical spine having at least one rail extending outward from a distal end thereof. The spine and rail(s) may be configured to secure one or more tiles, which tiles may be formed with a groove on at least one edge thereof, and wherein one or more rails may be positioned within the groove.

A first protrusion formed on stone or porcelain tile extending from an edge of the tile configured to abut a second tile to space the first tile apart from the second tile by the first protrusion.

A system including a plurality of photovoltaic shingles installed on a roof deck, a plurality of roofing shingles, such as asphalt shingles, installed on the roof deck, and a plurality of step flaps. One end of the roofing shingle overlays a first side of a corresponding one of the step flaps, and one end of photovoltaic shingle overlays a second side of the corresponding one of the step flaps.

A support structure for tile comprising a pair of flanges separated by and extending outward from the spine of the support structure each with an upper most planar surface. Where the tile comprises of a first face that is entirely planar, a second face that is entirely planar that is opposite the first face, a plurality of side edges extending between the first face and the second face with each of the plurality of side edges being square with respect to the first face and the second face, and a groove formed in at least one of the plurality of side edges. The groove of the at least one of the plurality of edges of the tile is configured for engagement by the first support structure rail of the support structure. The second face of the tile rests on the upper most planar surface of one of the pair of flanges.

The present invention provides a batten mount 51 for attaching to a first batten 1, and an elongate member 53 having a tile-securing part 55 and a fulcrum contact for engaging with a second batten 2, where the batten mount 51 is selectively attachable to the elongate member 53 at either: a first position spaced from the first end by a first distance; or a second position spaced from the first end by a second distance different from the first distance. In this way, the distance between the fulcrum contact and the point at which the elongate member is attached to the batten mount can be selected to correspond to the gauge of the roof, thereby making the roof tile attachment system appropriate for use on a number of different roofs having different gauges.