US Patent 7618310 Apparatus and methods for ventilation of solar roof panels

A roof portion including solar roof panels and field vents is disclosed. The roof portion includes a sloped roof deck and a cover layer spaced above the roof deck to form a gap between the roof deck and the cover layer. The cover layer includes a layer of cover elements, and a field of one or more solar panels generally within the layer of cover elements. The cover layer also includes a first plurality of field vents positioned within the cover layer substantially immediately below the solar panel field. The cover layer further includes a second plurality of field vents positioned within the cover layer substantially immediately above the solar panel field. The field vents permit airflow between the gap and the atmosphere above the roof.