Solar shingle
Solar shingles, also called photovoltaic
shingles, are solar panels designed to look
like and function as conventional roofing
materials, such as asphalt shingle or slate,
while also producing electricity. Solar
shingles are a type of solar energy solution
known as building-integrated
photovoltaics (BIPV).
Solar shingles on roof
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. There are also products using a
more traditional number of silicon solar
cells per panel reaching as much as 100
watts DC rating per shingle.[1]
Solar shingles are manufactured by
several companies.[2][3]
History
Solar shingles became commercially
available in 2005.[4]
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. Dow solar shingles, known
as the POWERHOUSE Solar System, first
became available in Colorado, in October
2011. A 3rd generation of POWERHOUSE
Solar System was exclusively licensed to
RGS Energy for commercialization from
2017 until 2020, when RGS Energy filed for
bankruptcy.[5][6]
In October 2016, Tesla entered the solar
shingle space in a joint venture with
SolarCity.[7] In January 2022, GAF
Materials Corporation announced they
would start selling a solar shingle
product.[8]
Description
Solar shingles are photovoltaic modules,
capturing sunlight and transforming it into
electricity. Most solar shingles are 12 in
× 86 in (300 mm × 2,180 mm) and can be
stapled directly to the roofing cloth. When
applied they have a 5 in × 86 in (130 mm
× 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.
Some early manufacturers used solar thin-
film technologies such as CIGS to produce
electricity, which are less common in the
solar industry than silicon-based cells.
Current manufacturers, such as RGS
Energy, CertainTeed, and SunTegra, have
chosen to use the industry-standard
monocrystalline or polycrystalline silicon
solar cells in their POWERHOUSE 3.0,
Apollo II, and SunTegra Shingle,
respectively. The installation methods for
some solar shingle solutions can be easier
than traditional panel installations
because they avoid the need to locate
rafters and install with a process much
more similar to asphalt shingles than
standard solar panels.
Solar shingled roofs tend to have a deep,
dark, purplish-blue or black color, and
therefore look similar to other roofs in
most situations. Home owners may prefer
solar shingles because large solar panels
can be highly visible and spoil the
aesthetics of the house.[9][10]
Cost
The cost of solar shingles can range from
$3.80 per watt up to $9.00 per watt
installed depending on the manufacturer,
technology used, and system size.[11] As
of May 2019, the average cost of a
traditional, roof-mounted residential solar
panel installation in the United States was
just above $3.00 per watt, according to the
Solar Energy Industry Association.[12]
While solar shingles are typically more
expensive to install than traditional solar
panels, some companies in recent years
since 2014 have made strides to lessen
the gap between the installed cost of
going solar with panels versus going solar
with shingles.
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.[4]
Solar contractors typically offer
homeowners a full-service price for solar
installation, which includes equipment
purchasing, permit preparation and filing,
registration with the local utility company,
workmanship warranties, and complete
on-site installation. Because photovoltaic
solutions produce power in the form of
direct current (DC) and the standard in
homes is alternating current (AC), all grid-
connected solar installations include an
inverter to convert DC to AC.
See also
Renewable
energy
portal
Energy
portal
Building-integrated photovoltaics
Energy development
Green technology
Solar energy
Thin film solar on metal roofs
References
1. "SunTegra Solar Shingle 100W" (http://ww
w.suntegrasolar.com/suntegra-shingles) .
SunTegra Solar. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
2. Eckhouse, Brian (March 19, 2019). "Tesla
has a new rival in its quest to make solar
rooftops happen" (https://www.latimes.co
m/business/la-fi-tesla-solar-roof-20190319-
story.html) . Los Angeles Times. Retrieved
2019-03-19.
3. Goldstein, Matthew (2009-10-05). "Dow to
sell solar shingle, sees huge market" (http
s://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/
idAFN0536825520091005?rpc=44) .
Reuters. Retrieved 2009-10-08.
4. "Sun Roof: Solar Panel Shingles Come
Down in Price, Gain in Popularity" (https://w
ww.scientificamerican.com/article/im-getti
ng-my-roof-redone-and-heard-about-solar-s
hingles/) . Scientific American. April 12,
2013. Retrieved 2015-12-15.
5. "Real Goods Solar, Inc. (RGSE) Stock
Skyrockets on Dow Deal" (https://finance.ya
hoo.com/news/real-goods-solar-inc-rgse-1
55428529.html) . 4 October 2017.
Retrieved 29 May 2018 – via
www.finance.yahoo.com.
6. Pickerell, Kelly (6 February 2020).
"Powerhouse solar shingle company RGS
Energy files for bankruptcy" (https://web.ar
chive.org/web/20210222001228/https://w
ww.solarpowerworldonline.com/2020/02/p
owerhouse-solar-shingle-company-rgs-ener
gy-files-for-bankruptcy/) . Solar Power
World. Archived from the original (https://w
ww.solarpowerworldonline.com/2020/02/p
owerhouse-solar-shingle-company-rgs-ener
gy-files-for-bankruptcy/) on 22 February
2021. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
7. Randall, Tom (31 October 2016). "No One
Saw Tesla's Solar Roof Coming" (https://ww
w.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-10-3
1/no-one-saw-tesla-s-solar-roof-coming) .
Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 19 April 2018 –
via www.bloomberg.com.
8. Root, Tik (January 3, 2022). "As U.S. moves
toward solar energy, this roofing company
hopes 'solar shingles' will get homeowners
to buy in" (https://www.washingtonpost.co
m/climate-solutions/2022/01/03/solar-ene
rgy-roof-shingles-climate/) . Washington
Post. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
9. "BiSolar - Solar Roof Tiles | Official Website"
(https://www.bisolarroof.com/) . BiSolar.
Retrieved 2020-07-04.
10. S.McNair (2022-03-30). "Shingled Solar
Panels Technology" (https://www.solarpow
erpanels.net.au/shingled-solar/) . Solar
Power Panels. Retrieved 2022-05-24.
11. "BIPV Solar Shingles Cost: SunTegra,
CertainTeed, POWERHOUSE 3.0, Tesla" (htt
ps://www.roofingcalc.com/bipv-solar-shingl
es-cost/) . roofingcalc.com. 6 June 2018.
Retrieved 12 June 2019.
12. "Solar Soft Costs" (https://www.seia.org/sit
es/default/files/2019-05/Solar-Soft-Costs-F
actsheet.pdf) (PDF). SEIA. May 2018.
Retrieved 12 June 2019. Linked from
https://www.seia.org/research-
resources/solar-soft-costs . $3.05/watt
was quoted for 2019 by energysage.com (h
ttps://news.energysage.com/how-much-do
es-the-average-solar-panel-installation-cost-
in-the-u-s/)
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