Metal roofing: The perfect platform for solar PV

I installed a solar array on my standing-seam metal roof and pretty much agree with everything in this article. But a couple things that people should be aware of is (1) the clamps do crush the metal roof panel seams when they are properly tightened. So if a metal roof panel needed replacement for some reason, it might be difficult to get them apart and the new one installed – I’m not sure how difficult it would be. On the positive side, you probably won't need to replace any roof panels because they’re so tough and long-lasting. I’m also not sure what the metal panel manufacturer would do as far as their warranty – crushing the seams at each clamp might void the warranty even though the pins in the clamps don't penetrate the metal. (2) The clamps are EXPENSIVE! And you will need a lot of them. I have 18 solar panels in 3 rows of 6. That means 4 rows of clamps at 2 clamps per 6 solar panels per row = 48 clamps. Because of high winds, I needed another clamp on each solar panel along the bottom row so the total = 48 + 6 = 54 clamps. The S-5! clamps are about $8.38 which comes to a total of $452.52 not including tax. I’m not sure that's any cheaper than a standard rail system would be on an asphalt roof. But the metal roof should last at least 50 years so overall, I think it's cheaper going this way. (See here for S-5! PV mid clamp kit. . . sno-safe.com/s5pvkit2mid.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjwgO2XBhCaARIsANrW2X2GN4yWIx8iWwwLjY1ywuGMBY1CeQcEjYU1sn5bMwFIgzajBvSsdb8aAh7jEALw_wcB)