Installer-friendly photovoltaic modules – ergonomic and efficient
A post on photovoltaic systems on a website about back health? Did the title catch you by surprise? The fact is that setting up a PV system is often a considerable physical challenge for installers and the modules have become increasingly larger and heavier over time. But there are now companies out there that are taking a closer look at back health.

Back-friendly photovoltaic modules for reduced work absence
The physical strain experienced when installing photovoltaic systems is something that is often underestimated. Carrying and installing heavy and bulky solar modules is actually one of the main causes of back problems for installers. Muscle tension, intervertebral disc problems and long-term overuse injuries often lead to sickness-related absence.
For employers, every day of sick leave results not just in lost labour, but also in financial losses. Ergonomically optimised, more compact solar modules offer a valuable solution to this problem. They make transport and installation much easier, reduce the extent of physical strain and therefore actively support the back health of employees. By using back-friendly modules, companies can reduce sickness-related absence and also protect their skilled workers over the long-term.
Transporting and installing photovoltaic modules in a back-friendly way
Regardless of whether you choose polycrystalline or monocrystalline solar modules, glass-glass or glass-foil modules, at the end of the day it’s real people who have to carry out the final steps of installation.
The situation on site is different every time, so technical tools only have a very limited use. Each job location presents a different set of challenges for installers, placing demands on their muscles and joints.
The stress on the back and the body as a whole can be severe: a typical PV module measures approx. 1.7 x 1.3 metres and often weighs in the region of 25 to 30 kg. Installers have to transport these large photovoltaic modules through confined spaces and then install them on the roof, often in uncomfortable positions. This demands a lot of the back.
The solution for less strain during installation lies in using smaller, more compact and therefore lighter modules that still offer very high efficiency. Solar modules that are easier on the back help to protect the health and productivity of the people installing them.
The advantages of smaller solar modules
- Smaller solar modules can be combined in more flexible ways. This means that greater efficiency can be achieved on smaller roofs and in more unusual conditions, with near identical purchase costs.
- Compact PV modules require less leverage action when they are carried. This protects the back and makes transport easier.
- Smaller and lighter modules are easier to handle in confined spaces. This makes working conditions easier on the body and reduces the need for strained postures during installation.
- Lighter, more compact modules have less surface area exposed to the wind, which significantly reduces the risk of them blowing out of position. This makes installation easier, safer and kinder to the back.
- As the modules are lighter and more compact, they can also be fitted by someone who is smaller or who has less physical strength.
- Ergonomically optimised module formats reduce the risk of strain injuries like muscle tension and intervertebral disc problems. They therefore contribute significantly to back health.
- They must fulfil current safety requirements. This is essential to ensure safe working and ergonomic handling during transport and installation, especially in a roof environment.
- They should be designed in such a way that they reduce physical strain during installation. This is achieved, for example, through smaller dimensions and/or reduced weight.
- Packaging should be designed so that the individual modules can be removed in a way that is easy on the back.
Minimum requirements
- Safety requirements are met
- Light weight
- Compact dimensions
- Back-friendly removal from transport packaging

DMEGC Renewable Energy B.V.
Netherlands
Industrieweg 7
2641 RM Pijnacker
Netherlands
Tel. +31 15 369 3131