Solar Shingles

Solar shingles are an integrated photovoltaic (PV) product that directly generates electricity from sunlight and in some cases converts electricity to heat. They are made of the same material used in conventional solar panels:

• Wire
• Photo sensitive waterproof product
• Material to generate electric current in sunlight

Like solar panels, solar shingles generate electricity. But, unlike solar panels, they also act as shingles.

How Solar Shingles Work

A particle of sunlight with no charge (i.e. photon) strikes a solar shingle that is coated with a special surface designed to free an electron from the particle of sunlight. The freed electron joins with other electrons where as a group they are harvested to produce a current. In theory, this process can produce enough electricity to support an entire building’s usage. But, there are a number of factors to consider:

• Demand for electricity
• Amount of available sunlight
• Current utility rates
• Availability of roof space with direct access to southern skies

Solar shingles can use diffused and scattered sunshine on overcast and rainy days, indicating that they can be used almost anywhere. This implies that in areas with an abundance of sunlight, excess energy can be produced and sent to the electric grid. This supports the developing trend to implement net metering where the originator of this excess energy could receive monies in the form of a check or credit on their next utility bill, depending on the programs within his/her jurisdiction.

Installing Solar Shingles

Approximately the same size of a typical roof shingle as compared to the much larger solar panels, the installation of solar shingles is fairly labor intensive in comparison. The shear difference in number of shingles vs. number of solar panels that would be required to cover the same area, and the fact that with the installation of each shingle is the requirement to wire it, accounts for this added effort.

Typically, PV installations range between $9 and $11 per watt with an averaging system priced at between $15,000 and $30,000. Besides the size of the PV system, other factors affecting price include:

• The amount of sun and shading on location.
• Roof space
• Roofing vs. new construction

Once completed, the installer applies for a permit to connect the solar shingle system to the grid. At this point in time, installation should only be performed by qualified contractors. However, more sophisticated infrastructure such as smart meters and smart grid are in various forms of implementation, and as these newer technologies take hold, a safer “plug and play” approach will likely be available. This will allow for the homeowner to plug the solar shingles into a smart meter, already connected to the grid, and specifically configured to receive these types of applications.