A quiet revolution in rooftop innovation

By Jesse Sanchez. 

This fast, no-penetration solar attachment method is turning heads and changing industry assumptions. 

When it comes to commercial solar, most conversations begin with panels and end with kilowatt hours. But Justin Smith, national sales manager at Anchor Products, wants to start somewhere else: the roof. 

In an interview with Dani Sheehan, Justin outlined how his company is changing the way solar attachments are installed on flat commercial roofs, quietly removing a major pain point in the intersection between solar and roofing. “There's got to be a better way of holding things to the roof,” Justin said, “rather than the standard method of ‘let's cut a big hole in it and fill it with a bunch of stuff and then hope it stays watertight.’” 

Anchor Products’ signature innovation is a non-penetrating attachment method that works with all major commercial roofing membranes. It provides a secure hold for solar racking systems without cutting holes or requiring elaborate structural reinforcements. “You're using the same membrane as what they used for the roof. You install or weld the same similar to how you would do an overlap. So, there's no exposed fasteners. There's no point of water entry.” 

The system isn’t just smart, it’s fast. Justin described a two-person crew that could install each anchor in as little as three minutes. The simplicity and speed reduce labor costs and eliminate complex coordination between solar and roofing contractors. As Smith put it, “Most roofers, once they see it and have done it a couple times, agree it's very similar to what they do for installing the roof itself.” 

But performance is just as critical as convenience. Anchor Products backs its hardware with testing from FM Global and collaborations with major racking companies to ensure compatibility and strength. The company is also working toward Miami-Dade certification, a gold standard for wind uplift performance. 

Beyond the technology, Justin pointed to a broader shift in how the industry views solar deployment. “If you are putting it on warehouses and rooftops and homes, you're putting that power closer to where the demand is,” he said. “So, your infrastructure becomes a lower cost overall because you're putting that power closer to where its demand is.” It's a perspective that reframes rooftops not as dead space, but as valuable infrastructure ready to meet rising energy demands. 

Learn more about of how Anchor Products is reshaping solar installation and what it means for the industry!