Is my roof made to withstand solar panels?

We are looking to put solar panels on the roof of our 2 story, 3300 sq ft house. I am working now to get the actual specs of their solar panel they use, but preliminary specs are that it is a 3 ft X 5 ft panel that will provide roughly 50 watts of power per panel. My questions are: 1) Your thoughts on Solar Panals? 2) Any suggestions on who to talk to? 3) what to lookout for? and 4) I am worried about placing additional weight of possibly 5 panels on the roof. Is that a valid concern or are roofs made to withstand that additional weight?

Sean

Tom: I wish I knew what the cost was but that’s not what he’s asking me so I’ll let that go. The weight, not a problem at all. The weight is not an issue. If you ever have a roof problem, the problem is going to be having to remove all the panels, all the rails, all the connectors, all the wiring, have the roof fixed and then put everything … Pay somebody to put it all back. That tends to be a real problem in residential markets.
Solar power is used a lot in industrial now. In fact, the air force bases here in the country are going all solar power.
Charlie: No kidding?
Tom: Yeah. The one out in West Texas is the first one, but by 2020, I do believe all military bases must be off the grid.
Charlie: Get out.
Tom: No, I’m serious. I wouldn’t like to you. I’m a military child. My dad was inspector general of the United States Air Force.
Charlie: That sounds very impressive.
Tom: Very scary when you’re just a kid.
Charlie: Bet you kept your room clean.
Tom: Yeah. I also questioned his comment about 50 watts per panel because that’s only certain times of the day. It means an orientation. There’s a following the sun. There’s a lot of variables on that, so don’t consider that an overall, end all type of number. Probably more expensive than its worth and probably not worth doing.