Patent ID: 8601754

Claim:
A photovoltaic roofing system disposed on a roof deck having a top end and a bottom end, the photovoltaic roofing system comprising: a plurality of photovoltaic roofing elements each comprising a frame structure having an upward-facing surface and a downward-facing surface having a top end and a bottom end, the frame structure having an attachment zone and an exposure zone, with the exposure zone disposed toward the bottom end of the frame structure, and the attachment zone disposed toward the top end of the frame structure, the frame structure further comprising a wiring containment structure; and one or more photovoltaic elements held in the exposure zone of the frame structure, the photovoltaic roofing elements being contiguously disposed on the roof deck, the contiguously-disposed photovoltaic elements together having a top edge facing the top end of the roof deck, a bottom edge facing the bottom end of the roof deck, and two side edges, the photovoltaic roofing elements including sidelap portions that interlock to provide water drainage channels; a plurality of roofing elements disposed adjacent the contiguously-disposed photovoltaic roofing elements, along their side edges; and side flashing elements disposed along the side edges of the contiguously-disposed photovoltaic roofing elements, the side flashing elements having a cross-sectional shape comprising a vertically-extending feature and a flange extending away from a lateral side at the downward end of the vertically-extending feature, with the flange facing away from the contiguously-disposed photovoltaic roofing elements and being at least partially disposed between a roofing element and the roof deck, the vertically-extending feature including a matched interlocking geometry that interlocks with a sidelap portion of an adjacent photovoltaic roofing element.