moderate wind the half web sections 139 of the slit web segment serve to minimize air flow around the hollow tubes and thus minimize convective heat loss therefrom because little air moves from one side of the tube mat to the other through the slits moreover a casual observer may not even notice the slits during such weather conditions as depicted in fig6 the slits permit a degree of individual tube movement about the major tube axis in both its vertical and horizontal directions during high wind conditions as the individual tubes 120 move in response to wind opposed half web sections 139 separate from one another thereby permitting air to efficiently pass from one side of the tube mat to the other and thus minimizing the force of the wind on the solar collector and its mounting hardware the degree of tube movement is dependent on wind velocity as the force exerted by winds of increasing speed increases hollow tubes 120 have the freedom to progressively spread more and more open and progressively bleed off the excessive force imposed on the solar collector mounting hardware as the wind subsides the individual tubes return to their original configuration under the influence of non slit web segments 137 this high wind lift force reduction enables a reduction in mounting hardware and thus roof penetrations required for the solar collector of the present invention indeed the number of roof penetrations may approach the minimal number required for loose tube solar collectors the proportionality of each length of the slit web segments 135 compared to each length of the non slit web segments 137 determines the extent to which the lifting force exerted by high winds is reduced and the extent.