Calabasas, CA · April – May 2021 · Southern California Edison / LA County
Mounts first, then the roof coating, then 45 modules on a new flat roof
A new house with a flat roof. The mounts went in before the roofer's coating, the crew came back once it had dried, and the array went up on low tilt legs.
This installation is 14.4 kW DC: 45 Hyundai HiD-S320RG 320 W modules, each with an Enphase IQ7 microinverter, on the flat roof of a new house with a Calabasas address in unincorporated Los Angeles County. Cali Energy set the mounts in sealant-filled curbs before the roofer coated the roof, returned once it had dried to install the array on low tilt legs, and the final inspection was passed on 12 May 2021.
At a glance
- System
- 14.4 kW DC
- Modules
- 45 × Hyundai HiD-S320RG, 320 W
- Microinverters
- Enphase IQ7, one per module
- Roof
- Flat, torch-down with a white coating
- Mounts
- Standoffs in sealant-filled curbs, low tilt legs
- Final passed
- 12 May 2021
- Permit
- Los Angeles County
The story
The house was new and its roof was flat, finished in torch-down. The county solar permit lists 45 Hyundai HiD-S320RG modules and 45 Enphase IQ7 microinverters, 14.4 kW DC. On a flat roof the array does not follow a pitch, so it stands on legs of its own, and every leg is a penetration.
That set the order. The first trip, on 20 April 2021, went to the mounts: standoffs fixed through the bare torch-down, each set in a curb that is filled with sealant around the post. Then the roofer laid a white coating over the roof around them, and the crew stayed off it until it had dried. The curb-and-sealant detail is one of the standard ways of flashing a solar mount.
The crew came back on 6 May. Tilt legs went on the standoffs, 52 of them at 15 inches, then the rails, the microinverters and the 45 modules. The array was finished by 8 May.
The connection point was settled on site. The subpanel in the garage had no space left and no conduit ran to the garage, which the home's own electrician confirmed, so the solar was connected at the main panel, and the single-line diagram was updated to show it before the inspection.
The final inspection was on 12 May 2021, between two and four in the afternoon, and it passed, with the placards accepted as installed. The house itself was not yet energized, so the system waited for the home's own electrical service before it could run. Done in that order, with the mounts set before the coating, the array leaves the roof as watertight as it found it — most of the answer to whether solar panels damage a roof.
How it ran
| 16 March 2021 | County solar permit applied for |
|---|---|
| 20 April 2021 | Standoffs set in sealant-filled curbs |
| Between the trips | Roof coated white by the roofer |
| 6 May 2021 | Tilt legs, rails, microinverters and modules |
| 6 May 2021 | Connection set at the main panel; diagram updated |
| 12 May 2021 | Final inspection passed |
Two trips, with the roof coating drying in between.
What we did
- Set every standoff in a sealant-filled curb before the roof was coated.
- Came back once the coating had dried.
- Installed tilt legs, rails, microinverters and 45 modules.
- Connected at the main panel when the garage subpanel had no room.
- Passed the final inspection.
System specifications
| Modules | 45 × Hyundai HiD-S320RG, 320 W |
|---|---|
| System size | 14.4 kW DC |
| Microinverters | Enphase IQ7, one per module |
| Mounts | Standoffs in sealant-filled curbs; 15-inch tilt legs |
| Roof | Flat torch-down, coated after the mounts were set |
| Utility / AHJ | Southern California Edison / Los Angeles County |
Is your project like this one?
- You are building a new house with a flat roof.
- Your roof is torch-down or will be coated.
- You are planning a system of around 14 kilowatts.
- Your Calabasas address may be in unincorporated county territory.
Cali Energy in Calabasas
This address carries a Calabasas mailing address but sits in unincorporated Los Angeles County, so the solar permit came from Los Angeles County Public Works rather than the City of Calabasas. The utility is Southern California Edison.
Not every Calabasas address is in the City of Calabasas. Parts of the hills around it are unincorporated Los Angeles County, where solar is permitted by county Building and Safety. This house is one of them.
- License and classifications: CSLB #1032379
- Official reference for this process: Los Angeles County Public Works — Building and Safety
- Official reference for this process: Enphase — installer documentation
Frequently asked questions
Why were the mounts installed before the roof coating on this Calabasas house?
Because every leg of a flat-roof array is a penetration. Here the standoffs were set first, each in a curb filled with sealant around the post, and then the roofer coated the whole roof over them. Cali Energy came back to install the array once the coating had dried.
Why did the solar permit come from the county and not the city?
Because the house has a Calabasas mailing address but stands in unincorporated Los Angeles County. The permit for its 45 modules and 14.4 kW was issued by Los Angeles County Building and Safety, not the City of Calabasas.
Where does this system connect?
At the main panel. The garage subpanel had no space left and no conduit ran to the garage, so the solar was connected at the main panel, and the single-line diagram was updated to show it before the inspection.
Does Cali Energy install on flat roofs around Calabasas?
Yes. On this new house near Calabasas Cali Energy set 45 modules on low tilt legs over a coated flat roof, with every standoff in a sealant-filled curb, and passed the final on 12 May 2021. License CSLB #1032379.
What this would look like on your roof
Planning solar in Calabasas? Tell us your utility, your roof and what your bill looks like now, and we will model what a system like this would do on your house before you commit to anything.
Or call +1 (323) 844-7777 · Cali Energy, Northridge · CSLB #1032379 (B, C-10, C-39) — design, permits, install and electrical under one licensed contractor.
Related
Updated October 2026.