HOME

Solar shingles? Another way to create you own electricity - From MySolarPower

Solar shingles or photovoltaic shingles are solar cells simply designed to resemble the conventional asphalt shingles. There are a number of different types of solar shingles, and some are designed in strip form, semi-rigid designs and some even newer styles using thin film solar cell technology, but they all are designed to blend in with our conventional roof shingles.

The solar shingle is rapidly becoming very popular – many of us are aware that there are incentives (such as the feed-in tariffs and solar grants) to get us to install solar energy systems, and many of us want to reduce our utility bills whilst reducing our carbon foot print by using renewable energy systems, but what stopped so many of us converting to solar power before now?

The answer for some of us, before solar shingles were available; was that we wanted our homes to stay looking like conventional homes – not space age nor having great swathes of solar panels erupting out of our home.

With the onset of solar shingles we can enjoy the benefits of solar energy systems without changing the look of our home.

BIPV’s.

Sorry to go all technical again – but BIPV’s which stands for “building – integrated photovoltaics”; in reality means that the manufacturers have now started to realise that we don’t necessarily want to change the way our homes look even if we do want to gain from the benefits possible with solar energy systems. What they have done is to combine solar cells with slate, asphalt, fibre-cement or metal so that they fully integrate with the current look of our home without dramatically changing its appearance. As with any other roof tiles, they blend with the roof and don't ruin the aesthetic value of the building. And the solar shingles will collect the same quantity of energy as a solar panel array, but are much less visually intrusive.

The system is pretty much the same as with conventional solar panels, with electricity being produced by the suns radiation striking a semiconductor layer which is laminated to the surface of the solar shingle. The shingles will be installed over the existing roof and then integrated into the homes electrical system.

Solar shingle systems can be stand alone or integrated into the grid. These means they can be used with a solar energy system that is self contained (off-grid) or that is tied into the public utility system (tied to the grid).

Developments in solar technology have allowed improvements that decrease the size of the solar panel needed to produce the same amount of energy. The smaller shingle-sized cells are now efficient enough to produce the same amount of energy as the larger arrays.

Solar shingles are ideally suited to the UK climate and by using triple junction technology, they produce electricity even on cloudy days – It was recently stated during a renewable energy conference; that “If every suitable roof in the UK was fitted with solar PVs we could exceed the nation’s current electricity demand.”

Free Electricity?

If the house is in a suitable location then the size of the roof surface is likely to be large enough to cover most of your personal electricity needs. Photovoltaic panels are long-term devices to collect solar power which means that they could be supplying you with electricity for at least the next 25+ years. Once installed they are silent and low maintenance, so you can really forget about them, other than noticing your lower quarterly energy bill.

Add value to your property

As we all become more aware of the need to find sustainable energy sources and become more aware of global warming issues and the on-cost to existing energy systems, a house with an existing solar power system is likely to attract interest and demand a price premium.

There are many sources claiming that the implementation of solar shingles or building – integrated photovoltaics adds about 10% to the value of your house. If this is indeed true then it is a worthwhile premium but at the very least one might assume that it would make the house easier to sell, but still the biggest advantage is the income generated by producing your own electricity.

Besides the visual appeal, another nice feature of the solar shingles is that they can be replaced as easily as traditional shingles.

While solar shingles may not be the right choice for every homeowner, they can certainly offer an attractive alternative to traditional solar panel arrays.

Solar (photovoltaic) roof tiles and shingles probably provide the most interesting possibilities to date of how we may integrate solar cells into the building's roof.

	Solar Energy Partner Sites
Solar Energy Quotatis	Solar Energy	Solar Energy Wind Power
	Get Solar Leads