Solar Roof tiles Continue to make slow, steady progress

Solar shingles, or solar roof tiles, are made of slim photovoltaic (PV) sheets that either overlay or replace the existing shingles on a roof. They absorb sunlight and convert it into electricity.

The majority of shingles will produce anywhere between 13 and 63 watts of power and are outshined by panels in terms of efficiency though.

Like regular roof shingles, solar shingles also protect the home from the weather and other elements. They enable homeowners to save money on monthly bills and eventually recoup their initial investments.

They are about the same size as traditional roofing shingles, with the average size being about 12 inches wide by 86 inches long, and weighing about 13 pounds per square foot. The thin tiles are less than an inch in thickness. It takes about 350 tiles to complete a typical solar roof installation.

The idea for solar-integrated roofing products has existed for some time now but the technology has been gathering steam in recent years, following breakthroughs in China, the US, and also in India.

Late last month, California-based Wedge Roofing announced that it was the first company in the North Bay to offer the world’s first nailable solar shingle Timberline Solar™ roof. GAF Energy, a Standard Industries company and a provider of solar roofing in North America, recently launched the award-winning Timberline Solar™ to deliver the “first true solar roof” to market.

“Timberline Solar™ incorporates roofing materials into a clean energy-generating system, resulting in a durable, attractive roof that produces energy. The solar roof is now available to residents in Marin County, Sonoma County, San Francisco and Napa,” said the company. The product is assembled domestically at GAF Energy’s U.S. manufacturing and research facility in California.

As for India, founded in 1981, Visaka Industries Limited’s product portfolios range from corrugated cement sheets and fibre cement boards to hybrid solar roofs and human-made fibre yarn. The company’s ATUM is an Integrated Solar Roofing System — solar panels manufactured with a cement base — that performs all the functions of a traditional roof while also generating energy for the resident. “It provides better insulation from heat than a traditional roof, without compromising on your building’s aesthetic appeal,” claims the company.

According to Visaka, ATUM provides users with the following benefits:

• Solar Board with a density of 1250 kg/cubic metre; increased lifespan
• Increased efficiency due to thermal conductivity of 0.072 W/mtK
• Thermal insulation that reduces temperatures by 35-40%
• Customisable sizes for larger orders
• Partnerships with battery and inverter manufacturers for ease of use
• Utilises maximum surface area, high efficiency, and improves aesthetics
• Recover your investment in just a few years

Additionally, multiple Chinese local governments, including Shanghai, Beijing, and Tianjin, have introduced policies to promote the construction of Building-Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) technologies in the next three to five years.

Last week, solar wafer producer LONGi acquired 27.25% of Center International Group, a company that makes features for buildings such as roofs and curtain walls. LONGi recently began to focus on BIPVs, in particular on technology that integrates the power generating functionality of solar cells with building materials like roof shingles.

Different from the traditional method of attaching solar panels on the top of buildings to create power-generating roofs, the BIPV method replaces traditional construction elements with solar-incorporated modules that reduce installation time. LONGi has been building (in Chinese) BIPV roofs for commercial clients since last June. The new investment will allow the solar company to expand its BIPV products to include curtain walls, a specialization of Center International.

LONGi faces fierce domestic and international competitors, especially Tesla, in the BIPV roof market. Tesla bought California-based solar roof tiles maker Solar City in 2016 and introduced its first-generation BIPV product –– Solar Roof –– the same year. Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk said during an earnings call last September that Solar Roof will be the company’s “killer product” in 2021.

Chinese solar companies, which collectively control at least 60% of every step of the global solar supply chain, are also leading in the field. Other than LONGi, Beijing-headquartered Hangergy launched its BIPV roof, the Hantile, in 2017, and solar company Risen Energy is also developing multiple BIPV products.