You might try posting this on the Home Repair forum.

Home Repair

We put on a 50 yr roof so it should outlast the panels. But yes, you have to have the panels removed, reroof and then reinstalled.

They did make solar panels that were actually roof shingles, but I've never seen them actually used. I think they are $$$

You remove the solar panels to reroof. Ideally you have a standing seam
roof or Decra(stone covered metal shingles). Those two types of
roofing will outlast the solar panels. Solar panels need to be replaced
every 35 years...or sooner if damaged. Decra roofs can last 50 years.

The standing seam also allows for fastening panels to standing seams which eliminates any roof penetrations which may leak.

It's always wise to assess the roof prior to investing in solar and pair both improvements at the same time and have 50 years of service life.

Yes, you don't install solar panels on a roof whose replacement would appear to be needed sooner than expiration of the useful life of the panels. Common sense. You don't buy new tires or pay thousands of dollars to repaint an old car that's running poorly, leaking oil and showing other signs of impending death.

Standing seam and other kinds of metal roofs are not very common here.

We're too old to reap much investment in solar panels, although we have the ideal south-facing roof for them.

Friends in California installed panels that I believe they 'leased'. (Maybe that means the owner isn't stuck removing/repairing?) They sold a year later, and I think the solar helped sell the house. It was a hassle getting the system installed, though.

If you have 'property', I guess you could do free-standing solar panels.

The free standing are more expensive, but they have the advantage of being closer to the ground so cleanable. We live where we get sufficient rain/snow to clean them off. But if you live in dry and dusty, they won't work as well unless they're cleaned off.

And if you really have $$ to burn, you can get the kinetic ones that follow the sun.

I'm not sure where it's dry AND dusty, unless you're thinking of dry plains or desert areas. In my coastal region, it's arid but not really dusty. In the same way that for many homes someone may need to climb a ladder or get on the roof to clear leaves, it's not unusual to see someone up a ladder or on a roof with a hose, rinsing off the solar panels. It doesn't seem to be a big deal.

Elmer, I'd think it depends on how high your roof is.

Leaves don't fall on high roofs?

When we got quotes for solar panel roof installation, two of the companies advised us that it was best to replace the roof before solar installation, not after; for the simple reason that they would not warranty against leakage unless the owner hired the solar company to remove and then replace the panels - a considerable extra expense.

Since we had to get the roof done anyway, that was done first and then a couple of years later we did the solar.

Leaves don't fall on high roofs?

No but it's a question of how safe it is to get up say 2 or more stories to clean the panels on a regular basis. Also, one would not want leaves from trees near the panel as shade is not a good thing for solar panels.

What we did is not put a gutter on the back of our house as it's 2 high stories up over a stone patio and didn't want to have to clean them.

I'm confused with your response, annie.

There are many jobs that require working on roofs. A roofing team put down the roofing material on your roof. A residential roof is the same no matter how high it is off the ground. You have solar panels, another team installed those. The installation is the same no matter the height of the roof, a higher one just requires higher ladders and longer wire to make the connection. Similarly, there are people who clear roofs and gutters. The height of the roof doesn't matter to them. I have a guy who does it with a leaf blower a few times a year. Part of the roof is two stories up because of sloping location. He doesn't care one bit.

The advantage of gutters is to prevent getting drenched from runoff when you walk out of the house and to control water runoff from the roof. At a minimum, the downspouts take the water away from the house foundation. More and more, the downspouts are connect to drain lines that are part of the site drainage system.

Depending on the location and the types of trees nearby, many roofs can collect leaves that need to be clear periodically. With or without gutters.