Reduce solar-panel racking and installation costs by 33%

for accessible and affordable solar power

About Roll-A-Rack

Roll-A-Rack is a new solar-panel racking system that reduces racking and installation costs of traditional systems by 30 percent. The material costs are 50 percent less than current racking systems. Installation time and labor costs are reduced by 65 percent. 

Designed for flat roofs and ground applications, Roll-A-Rack uses roll-forming equipment to produce on-site, ballasted racking. The single-component Roll-A-Rack is significantly simpler than today’s multicomponent racking systems, which require pre-ordering, shipping, inventory and assembly. 

Roll-a-Rack is being developed by a team of scientists, engineers and solar installers with the help of a Small Business Innovation Grant from the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office. The effort harnesses a wide range of community resources and Cleveland’s rich engineering and manufacturing expertise, which is represented by the following:

  • NASA’s Glenn Research Center is advising on wind uplift forces.  
  • Ohio Aerospace Institute is supporting product commercialization.  
  • BT Solar, a local solar installation company, will provide technical assistance and end-user feedback.  
  • MAGNET, a nonprofit manufacturing consultancy, is validating the mechanical design and advising on strategic business development.  
  • SDLE Research Center at Case Western Reserve University will perform accelerated weather testing.  
  • The New Tech Machinery division of Mazzella Companies will build the roll-forming machines, and Sheffield Metals International, also a division of Mazzella, will provide raw materials.

Roll-A-Rack will be available by the end of 2020 .

For Installers

Become a Beta Tester
First 100 kW of racking are free

 

Roll-A-Rack is seeking developers and installers for beta testing

Benefits

  • Early access to cost-saving technology with minimal risk
  • First 100 kW of racking are free
  • Racks will be roll formed on the project site by Roll-A-Rack at no cost
  • For commercial building projects, racks will be formed and lifted to rooftop at no cost
  • Roll-A-Rack will perform wind uplift analysis to determine ballast requirements
  • Staff will be trained at no cost
  • The test site will become a case study, which can be used for marketing

Requirements

  • A ballasted solar project with a minimum size of 100 kW
  • Projects must be performed between Nov. 2021 and July 2022
  • Testers must allow time-and-motion studies on their installation

For more information email beta@roll-a-rack.com, or call (216) 391-7400

Contact Us

for information and inquiries

Don Scipione
dscipione@roll-a-rack.com
216.346.6955

3821 Prospect
Cleveland, Ohio

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Our Team

Don Scipione

President

Don

dscipione@roll-a-rack.com
216-346-6955
LinkedIn

Don Scipione, Ph.D., is an experimental elementary particle physicist, businessman and serial entrepreneur. He is Principal Investigator of a SBIR grant from the Solar Energy Technologies Office to develop Roll-A-Rack into a commercially viable product.

John Turner

CFO

jturner@roll-a-rack.com
858-523-8792
LinkedIn

John began working with Roll-A-Rack in 2018, while they were completing an MBA at Case Western Reserve University. They have a background in sustainability and digital automation. Outside of work, they serve on the Board of Directors at Care About Climate.

Zavier McLean

Software Engineer

zmclean@roll-a-rack.com
LinkedIn

Zavier is a software engineer with a love of tech and art. A graduate from Cleveland State University, he was president its chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) chapter. He is automating the process to determine ballast requirements for Roll-A-Rack customer projects.

Syeda Nur-E Saba

Research Associate

Syed

ssaba@roll-a-rack.com
LinkedIn

Saba is a Physics and Entrepreneurship Masters student at Case Western Reserve University. She is a ThinkEnergy Fellow at the Great Lakes Energy Institute and member of Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy (WRISE).

Jeff Kalt

Solar Project Manager

Jeff

jeff@rbt.solar

Jeff has been installing and designing solar arrays since 2010. Installing renewable energy systems, interacting with customers, and working to further the good name of solar energy is what he enjoys.

Jamie Doyle

Solar Project Manager

Jamie

jamie@bt.solar

Jamie enjoys working with clients and showing them the installation process and mechanics of renewable energy. When he’s not working you may run into him at a number of local music events.

Advisers


Brandon Cornuke
Vice President, Startup Services
MAGNET

Michael Keller
Senior Product Development Engineer
MAGNET

Alec Simon
Senior Startup Advisor
MAGNET

Anthony Gillespie
Senior Program Manager
Ohio Aerospace Institute

Daniel Gisser, MBA, PhD
Senior Project Manager
Ohio Aerospace Institute

Nicole Stika
Vice President, Energy Services
Greater Cleveland Partnership

Joe Mossbrook
Managing Partner
Acclaim Communications

Events

AUG 24-25, 2022

2022 Ohio Statewide Floodplain Management Conference

Columbus, OH

SEPT 19-22, 2022

RE+

Anaheim, CA

OCT 21-22, 2020

Solar Power International (SPI) Trade Show

Las Vegas, NV

APRIL 29-30, 2020

NREL Industry Growth Forum

APRIL 5-7, 2020

Solar Energy Technologies Office 2020 Peer Review

Washington, DC

Roll-A-Rack SET Peer Review 2020

MARCH 5, 2020

Morgenthaler-Pavey Startup Competition

Cleveland, OH

Roll-A-Rack CEO John Turner Pitching at an EventJohn Turner, Roll-A-Rack CFO, pitches a faster, lower-cost solar racking solution, at the conclusion of a seven-week accelerator for early stage companies.

JAN 28, 2020

MAGNET ribbon cutting

Cleveland, OH

Roll-A-Rack founder Roll-A-Rack founder Don Scipione (right) demonstrates the wide-scale economic advantages of his new solar-installation approach to Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted (left) Monday, when Husted visited Cleveland to review innovative new companies. (right) demonstrates the wide-scale economic advantages of his new solar-installation approach to Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted (left) Monday, when Husted visited Cleveland to review innovative new companies.Roll-A-Rack founder Don Scipione (right) demonstrates the wide-scale economic advantages of his new solar-installation approach to Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted (left) Monday, when Husted visited Cleveland to review innovative new companies.

MARCH 21, 2019

Cleveland 2030 DISTRICT Building Education Series: Solar and Wind Technology

Cleveland, OH

Don Scipione presents to the Solar and Wind Technology session of the Cleveland District 2030 Building Education Series.