
This week Dow Chemical Company joined the ranks of companies trying to make renewable energy both practical and visually pleasing. The company introduced its POWERHOUSE Solar Shingle this week and, I have to say, I'm impressed. The new shingles almost seemlessly blend in with asphalt shingles, providing you with solar power without the possibility of offending your neighbors.
The advantages to these solar panels go beyond aesthetics - they can be installed by a regular roofing contractor along with, or in place of, traditional shingles, and, although specific pricing hasn't been released, they will reportedly be around 30 - 40 percent cheaper than other rooftop solar PV systems.
The CIGS cells operate above 10 percent efficiency and the solar panel system will be available in small quantities by the middle of next year with a bigger roll-out by 2011.
via Jetson Green

written by Boyd Bottorff, October 09, 2009
written by Solar Guy, October 09, 2009
Wow, these shingles must automatically convert DC to AC, automatically install conduit, AC & DC disconnects, automatically install the inverter, and self-connect to your home's electrical service panel and the Grid! Hot stuff!
And, without any solar training by "a regular roofing contractor", can they be used all over the roof including in the shade and facing North (in Northern hemisphere)?
So, let's see. Just over 1/2 as efficient as traditional mono crystalline solar panels, installed by people who don't have a clue about solar irradiation or shading issues, and with a proven track record of ___ days?
We've already seen ads in our area by a large roofing company that shows a thin-film laminate solar roof that has a huge chimney shading about 1/3 of the array. Anyone bother to tell the homeowners that the shading with effectively kill ALL the output of their beautiful new system?
written by James, October 09, 2009
**Would solar panels actually be more environmentally friendly than a green roof?
written by Jeff Ruberg, October 09, 2009
So in short, modules installed on racking are approximately twice as efficient, therefor producing 2x more energy on the same foot print, and prevents the need to run your air conditioner as much. In sub-tropical and tropical locations the A/C is by far the biggest energy hog.
If anyone has read an article on this please email me at \n This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it '> This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
written by h8r, October 09, 2009
written by Solar Guy, October 09, 2009
We keep seeing promises and re-hashing of technologies that have been around for years. So the former maker of Napalm has "invented" solar shingles... NOT.
They've been around for years and years, and are not in widespread use for good, solid reasons; a few of which were in my post. There are others, too, if you care to pull your head out of ___ ___. (fill in the blanks any way you like.)
written by tungsten carbide, October 09, 2009
written by Jeff, October 09, 2009
written by Sunny Gal, October 09, 2009
And while the install of the shingle can be done by any roofer - I doubt they're trying to say that the roofing company can hook up the inverter and everything else as well. I would think the city inspectors would put a stop to that.
written by Bill, October 10, 2009
written by Paul Turner, October 12, 2009
combined photovoltaic and hot water panels have been around a while. Basically the PV panel has a water jacket on its' back side connected into a regular water heating system. You get a double benefit; not only do you get some heating for your domestic water, the resulting temperature decrease on the PV part of the panel also increases it's efficiency. However proper system design is necesary to maximize these efects.
written by Jeff Ruberg, October 12, 2009
However heading back to my original point... in warm-hot climates where thin-film pv has been installed on a residential roof, it is my guess that 95%-99% will NOT have a hybrid hot water system that benefits in other energy savings. Therefor the heat is transfered in the attic and causes the ac to run more often to remove the heat from the living space. I have searched FSEC and other sources and have been unsuccessful in find a study performed on this issue.
I am hoping someone else has had better luck than myself in finding a study on the negative effects of thin-film on a homes cooling effort.
Jeff
written by Jeff Ruberg, October 12, 2009
I will let you read it for yourself if you are interested: http://www.coolrmetal.com/docu...ltaics.pdf
Most of the study builds the case for a negligible difference in the heat transfered to the home, but the case study was using a home that had a well insulated R30 barrier on the backside of the roof sheathing. However below is an excerpt that applies to most the old homes in my neck of the woods, Key West, FL.
pg 4 of 6
3. BAD SCIENCE DISCLAIMERS
In the previous section I showed that heat from the a-Si BIPV roof would negligibly impact the energy use in your home. However, this would not be true in homes that are not consistent with our set of assumptions. For example, let us assume you have little or no roof insulation (R-2 instead of R-30); let us further assume you have a relatively inefficient air conditioning system with a COP of 2 rather than 3.5. In such a case all the PV power would be needed to pump the heat from the roof out of the house. Things would be even worse if you have leaky air conditioning ducts in the hot attic.
I would love to see Home Power Magazine, or another credible source, pick this up and run with it. Better yet research performed by NREL or FSEC would be great.
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