Solar shingle

Solar Shingles, also called photovoltaic shingles, are solar panels or solar modules designed to look like and function as conventional slate or asphalt shingle roofing materials.

There are several varieties of solar shingles, including shingle-sized solid panels that take the place of a number of conventional shingles in a strip, semi-rigid designs containing several silicon solar cells that are sized more like conventional shingles, and newer systems using various thin film solar cell technologies that match conventional shingles both in size and flexibility.

Solar shingles are manufactured by several companies but the two main manufacturers of solar roof shingles are Dow and CertainTeed.

History

Commercial solar shingles were first available in 2005. In a 2009 interview with Reuters, a spokesperson for the Dow Chemical Company estimated that their entry into the solar shingle market would generate $5 billion in revenue by 2015 and $10 billion by 2020. The first location the Dow solar shingles became available was in Colorado, in October 2011.

Description

Solar shingles are photovoltaic modules, capturing sunlight and transforming it into electricity. Most solar shingles are 12 by 86 inches (300 by 2,180 mm) and can be stapled directly to the roofing cloth. When applied they have a 5 by 86 inches (130 by 2,180 mm) strip of exposed surface. Different models of shingles have different mounting requirements. Some can be applied directly onto roofing felt intermixed with regular asphalt shingles while others may need special installation.

Solar shingled roofs have a deep, dark, purplish-blue color, and therefore look similar to other roofs in most situations. Homeowners may prefer solar shingles because they avoid having large panels on their roofs.

Cost

Solar shingle designs are more expensive to install than traditional PV panels. New, more efficient designs such as thin-film copper indium gallium selenide (CuIn_xGa_(1-x)Se₂) cells can be installed in ten hours, compared with four to five hours for the installation of traditional panels. The higher cost of installation dramatically raises the cost of solar power. Overall, the cost of solar singles is around $8-10 per Watt installed, compared with $2.50-3 per Watt for traditional solar panels. According to Dow Chemical Company reports, a typical residential install consisting of 350 solar shingles can cost at least $20,000; however, federal and state incentives depending on the location might significantly bring down the cost.

All photovoltaic power is produced in the form of direct current (DC). The standard in homes is alternating current (AC). Therefore part of the cost of installation of any solar system is the price of an inverter to convert DC to AC.

The least expensive way to install solar shingles is to use the grid as a backup source of electricity. Backup storage, in the form of batteries, is expensive, adds complexity to the installation, and is uneconomic in any large scale. Battery backup units require an array of additional hardware. This includes batteries, battery enclosures, battery charge controllers, and separate sub panels for critical load circuits. However, grid power is only useful as a backup system if it is available when solar power is not.

Availability

Companies that make solar shingles available in the United States: Dow, CertainTeed, Sun Energy Engineering, Atlantis Energy Systems (asphalt and slate systems), OkSolar.com., and Integrated Solar Technology (SunTegra Solar Roof Systems),.

Former companies include Uni-Solar, which filed for bankruptcy in 2012, and Pfleiderer-Dachziegelwerke.

See also

• Building-integrated photovoltaics
• Energy development
• Green technology
• Solar energy

References

Modern Innovations – Solar Roofs and Protective Solar Window Films

External links

• Photo showing solar shingles
• Before and After Solar Roof Shingle Photos