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When Solar Spreadsheets Hide Roof Reality

Most solar projects don’t fail on paper. They fail on the roof. In this episode, Alexis Lewis breaks down one of the most common and most expensive disconnects in commercial solar: the gap between spreadsheet assumptions and physical reality. Financial models are clean. Roofs are not. Owners, developers, and even EPCs often rely on high-level feasibility spreadsheets to green-light projects. Watts per square foot. Modeled production. Utility rates. IRR targets. On paper, everything works. But spreadsheets don’t show you: • Roof membranes nearing end of life • Hidden structural constraints • Poor drainage and chronic ponding • Unaccounted rooftop equipment and access paths • Wind uplift exposure on parapets and canopies • Fire code conflicts and setback realities • Deferred maintenance that becomes your problem later This episode reframes solar feasibility as what it actually is: a roof-level asset decision, not a spreadsheet exercise. Alexis walks through: • Why “paper-only feasibility” creates false confidence • The difference between design viability and asset viability • How underperforming systems are often born during early screening • What a real roof-as-an-asset review should include before design • Why O&M teams inherit the consequences of early modeling shortcuts • How owners can kill bad projects early and save capital If you’re an asset manager, property owner, EPC, or financier working with aging commercial roofs (especially 2010–2021 vintage systems), this episode explains why the roof itself must be treated as infrastructure not a line item. Solar doesn’t fail randomly. It fails predictably when reality is ignored. This is a conversation about discipline, accountability, and respecting the physical asset long before modules are ordered. If you’ve ever wondered why a project that “looked great in the model” turned into an operational headache, this episode is for you. The Deep Dive on Renewable is a podcast hosted by Alex and Jordan, featuring in-depth discussions on renewable energy, sustainability, and the global clean energy transition. © 2026 The Servant Podcast Network. All rights reserved.