Sunny future: Dow Chemical hopes to transform the solar power industry by integrating solar cells with conventional roofing shingles .
Credit: Dow Chemical
Business
Solar Shingles See the Light of Day
Dow Chemical readies easy-to-install solar roofs.
- Wednesday, January 20, 2010
- By Phil McKenna
Dow Chemical is moving full speed ahead to develop roof shingles embedded with photovoltaic cells. To facilitate the move, the U.S. Department of Energy has backed Dow's efforts with a $17.8 million tax credit that will help the company launch an initial market test of the product later this year.
In October 2009, the chemical giant unveiled its product, which can be nailed to a roof like ordinary shingles by roofers without the help of specially trained solar installers or electricians. The solar shingles will cost 30 to 40 percent less than other solar-embedded building materials and 10 percent less than the combined costs of conventional roofing materials and rack-mounted solar panels, according to company officials.
Dow isn't the first company to incorporate solar cells into building materials. In recent years, a number of leading solar manufacturers have launched small lines of solar shingles, tiles, and window glazes. But as Dow looks to bring its shingles mainstream, other solar manufacturers are backing away from the products. Suntech Power, the Chinese solar maker, and the largest crystalline silicon photovoltaic manufacturer in the world, has several integrated solar systems on the market, but with the recent downturn in new housing construction, the company has focused instead on ramping up conventional photovoltaic panel output, says Jeffrey Shubert, Suntech Power marketing director for North and South America.
According to analyst Johanna Schmidtke of Boston-based Lux Research, building integrated solar installations are, despite manufacturers' claims, still significantly more expensive than conventional rack-mounted solar arrays due to increased costs associated with manufacturing and installation. The devices currently occupy niche markets for those willing to pay a premium for the aesthetic value of the less-obtrusive integrated systems.
Companies looking to develop solar shingles and other solar-integrated building materials have also had to overcome significant design and materials challenges. "Putting solar panels directly into the roof or skin of a building requires a product that has structural integrity, weathering ability, and electrical integrity," says Mark Farber a senior consultant with Photon Consulting in Boston. "It has to be a good building material and a good power generator, and achieving both is hard to do."
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maiselm
1 Comment
- 1217 Days Ago
- 01/20/2010
Suppose you want to air condition your house? What is the insulation value (R value) of the shingles? In other words, how does a roof of these things comport with hot and cold weather typical of the "temperate" climate(s) of the USA? Would you be wasting the energy accumulated in cooling the house? It looks like a formidable blanket.
hendersonmj
33 Comments
- 1217 Days Ago
- 01/20/2010
Shingled roofs are generally built over a ventilated attic. The shingles provide negligible insulation to the primary living space; insulated batts, commonly a foot thick, lie on the floor of the attic. Shingles are expected to last thirty years despite continuous exposure to sun and to extreme weather (hail, wind). At end of life, they are dumped in landfills ... leaving us to wonder about heavy metals and how these might be recycled?
lasertekk
146 Comments
- 1217 Days Ago
- 01/20/2010
Compare our recycling efforts to just 10 years ago and you'll see an incredible leap of consumer participation and pre-planning on the part of manufacturers to take back their products. I'm sure by the time something like this becomes main stream, similar recycling protocols will be in place.
mkogrady
425 Comments
- 1216 Days Ago
- 01/21/2010
R Value would be very low. The polymers used would not provide any valid heat retention or reduction unless there was some type of foam-like substrate that offered R values.
However, if these things heat up and retain their internal heat - would the solar functionality wear out sooner?
Guest (RandyS)
- 1216 Days Ago
- 01/21/2010
Typically one does not want insulated shingles, as they build up too much heat in the shingle itself, reducing lifespan. This would be especially problematic for a solar PV shingle. Residential roof design passes the heat to the attic, where it can be exhausted.
But the issue here is cost - still too high.
Outside of areas with clear skies, reliable year-round insolation, and outrageously high electric rates (e.g SoCal), solar doesn't even come close to making economic sense and stealing money from taxpayers and ratepayers to subsidize it doesn't make it any better a choice.
Solar needs to truly save money over nuclear or other conventional sources to be a real player, and it simply isn't there.
paul randall
6 Comments
- 1203 Days Ago
- 02/03/2010
Is nuclear as cost competitive with individual solar electric, solar hot water and geothermal heat and cooling, when you add to the costs of power generation the associated costs of
*power lost due to line loss v/s power generated on site where it is consumed,
*private liability insurance covering the entirety of a catastrophic accident or an accident during transport of waste,
*costs for securing plants, shipment and storage of waste from terrorist attacks,
*the cost of transporting waste,
*local state and federal taxes paid by consumers for the power they buy,
*the cost to decommission and transport old plant debris to safe storage sites,
*the cost to maintain and secure safe waste storage sites,
*the added national security costs due to proliferation,
*additional costs needed to beef up and secure the national power grid to facilitate a highly centralized power generation model
mishras
1 Comment
- 719 Days Ago
- 06/02/2011
Yes...the current solar technology is not cost effective, i.e: (Total Cost) $/15 years Life (usually 15 years)does not justify what we are paying for our current electric grid system per year. But, I am optimistic that with the advancement in technologies, our consumption will decrease due to higher efficiency appliances and with lower cost solar technology, we will benefit with this limitless and free power source. Currently, we should also be looking at: Instead of venting the heat trapped in the attics, if we can use the attic as a heat source and use "liquid" to transfer that heat (or cold) to our house, pool, etc... using extremely cheap glass/PVC technologies, that may be something that we can afford and benefit from...
dkohn
49 Comments
- 1217 Days Ago
- 01/20/2010
Kind of interesting but why not just develop Gen IV nuclear power? Much bigger benefits.
swimdad623
8 Comments
- 1217 Days Ago
- 01/20/2010
Why not do it all - wind, solar, geothermal, AND nuclear? A single solution won't solve the energy problem, but doing it all and letting the marketplace decide will.
paul randall
6 Comments
- 1203 Days Ago
- 02/03/2010
Nukes could never get to square one in a truly market driven environment. They can't be privately financed or insured. Private power producers can't and won't pay the true costs for security, shipping of waste or permanent storage. Argue it merits all you want but please don't make that arguement.
Leogursky
1 Comment
- 1216 Days Ago
- 01/21/2010
Nuclear plants is an excellent alternative. The IV generation reactors are safer(inherently-safe mechanism)and more efficient. However, most nukes today are generation 3 or 3+(popular American AP1000 and French EPR). Industry has its inertia. Though the design is mature,the IV generation reactor still has a long way to go.
BTW, many people fear nuclear power. They think it dangerous and instable. This misunderstanding of nuclear technology is mainly out of ignorance and bias. They should read more books on this technology.
Looking forward to the age of green energy.
TooMany
125 Comments
- 1214 Days Ago
- 01/23/2010
The natural gas and coal industries have a big motivation to kill nuclear power. Our political system revolves around the ignorance of the populace. When people are ignorant, fear can be used as a powerful tool to manipulate them.
No one was hurt in the famous Three Mile Island accident and yet it shut down the nuclear power program in the US 30 years ago. Since then, the regulatory bar has been raised to such hights that the costs and financial risk of building nuclear power plants have become prohibitive.
Meanwhile France produces 75% of their electrical power this way and uses it to drive their high-speed rail system. They are in the process of buiding a new generation of reactors. They don't even have an empty desert to store the wastes and don't need it because they reprocess.
It's truly sad. Remember Sarah Palin's death panels and the recent oxymoron "keep government out of my Medicare"? This is the way America works now. Ignorance and fear is used by corporate powers to rule us.
smithsomian
182 Comments
- 1211 Days Ago
- 01/26/2010
@TooMany: you need to make up your mind. in the same breath, you blast the idea that govt is too involved, and that it is involved at all. our govt is AT LEAST as guilty of manipulating the populace through fear and taking advantage of ignorance as any company. and I do not mean Obama, or Bush, or Clinton, or Reagan specifically -- I mean all of them, the Congress, and even our friends on the Supreme Court. the Founding Fathers understood that ignorance would kill our system, and tried to build in safeguards to maintain balance. the last 50 years have been a travesty of both breaking down those safeguards and a combined and interrelated development of lack of interest and lack of trust in government operations.
sleepingairedale
1 Comment
- 1211 Days Ago
- 01/26/2010
TooMany, I completely disagree, the American public is generally very intelligent. Three Mile Island was the event the environmentalists were waiting for to use as a club against the nuclear industry. The nuclear industry was essentially shut down by the environmentalists applying pressure on the government resulting in excessive costs and punitive regulations on the industry. As a result it probably takes 20 years to get a plant up and running. If you put it to a general vote, I'm sure, the result would be overwhelmingly positive. The reason we are in this situation is the pressure of a very small vocal group on a ignorant, spineless government.
LizNOLA
1 Comment
- 1210 Days Ago
- 01/27/2010
Pipe fitters, plumbers, welders and insulators have a different perspective of plant safety, both personal and public. You should interview the workers in the nuc plants - find a bar where repair crews go after work and strike up a conversation. They are on the front line and do not have communication directors to manage their comments.
profquatermass
57 Comments
- 1216 Days Ago
- 01/21/2010
If we start getting solar 'tiles' on our roofs, I suppose this means I'll be up there once a week wiping them down to remove algae, moss, leaves, bird poo and other organic material?
Or pay someone to do so...?
I hope that is factored into their running costs.
lasertekk
146 Comments
- 1216 Days Ago
- 01/21/2010
The 19th century had chimney sweeps, so why can't the 21st century have 'panel sweeps'? It would put a few people to work. But I'm sure someone would develop a self-cleaning system.
profquatermass
57 Comments
- 1214 Days Ago
- 01/23/2010
Because old fashioned Chimney Sweeps got paid Tuppence.
A modern worker would get minimum pay - £5.75 an hour and charge me at least £15 for the privilege?
So a month charge of £60 is a considerable expense.
Though no doubt enterprising companies would bring out costly algae suppressing and bird poo cleaning chemicals which would claim they would self-clean the panels!
Hehe.
jhains2
17 Comments
- 1214 Days Ago
- 01/23/2010
Well, why can't it just be covered with some of that "self-cleaning" nano stuff that they are going to make all of our toilets from (some day)?
mkogrady
425 Comments
- 1216 Days Ago
- 01/21/2010
Once a month - maybe, but weekly - doubtful. I don't think they would get that dirty that quickly.
Maybe Rain-X can come up with a product for Solar roofs to keep that unwanted debris from building up and causing problems. Otherwise a long handled brush, some soapy water or vinegar solution and a squeegee may be in order. Power wash once a quarter or annually.
profquatermass
57 Comments
- 1214 Days Ago
- 01/23/2010
Glass is quite a rough surface so pollen, moss and algae spores would build up on the surface quite quickly at certain times of the year.
Then there is leaves in Autumn and snow in Winter...
There is 'Pilkington glass' which uses a metal in the glass to act as a catalyst when water forms on it to break down dirt. But it's not exactly fast working. Expensive too.
pfloyd09
1 Comment
- 1203 Days Ago
- 02/03/2010
If you live under a bunch of trees that would cause leaves to fall on the roof, and would provide shelter for birds, then you would probably not want to waste your money on solar panels that require sunlight to produce electricity. I am not a scientist, but I suspect the shade provided by trees would be counterproductive to PV panels.
xboxps3wow
1 Comment
- 1215 Days Ago
- 01/22/2010
Devere
32 Comments
- 1215 Days Ago
- 01/22/2010
Total Capital Costs/kW and Maintenance
Anybody know the capital costs of the solar PV panels (and related systems equipment, such as DC/AC converters and perhaps a source device) and the ongoing maintenance costs associated with rooftop solar panels? (for both integrated and non-integrated)
Thanks
paul randall
6 Comments
- 1203 Days Ago
- 02/03/2010
Re: Total Capital Costs/kW and Maintenance
Depends where you live and how your home is sited. Basically to cost out a system you need to be able to finance it and have it pay for itself over a seven to ten year period out of utility bill savings. You still need to be connected to the grid and hopefully your state mandates net metering so power you generate when you are not home can be used to offset the cost of power you need when its dark. all this is very doable today.
StupidPeasant
98 Comments
- 1214 Days Ago
- 01/23/2010
Little things such as: how the wires connect, or how roof top equipment such as vents and pipe penetrations seal near it, or methods for trouble shooting some panel in the middle of a big group of shingles will take years for big manufactures to wring out. It will be crap at first. They know it doesn't pay yet.
Dow probably just considers it a marketing cost right now with the help of your tax dollars. Ooh ooh ooh, Dow is a nice company cause they like the environment.... ha ha ha.
Anyway, it will be a learning experience for someone.
Curtis
1 Comment
- 1210 Days Ago
- 01/27/2010
With luck my grandson will probably have a sod roof (as in grass) which worked quite well back in the Dakotas in the 1860's.
Nobisblika
1 Comment
- 1006 Days Ago
- 08/19/2010
Tengo un techo de metal galvanizado
Me interesa muchísimo el tema del tinte solar. Necesito luz solar porque mis padres hicieron una extensión a mi casa por estar en el mismo terreno y haber sólo una caja. Pensaba poner ripias de pizarra o cerámica al techo por los calores que pasa a la cámara de aire. En la zona donde vivo hace 40ºC de calor en la sombra y el aire acondicionado no alcanza por la baja tensión. Pero cuando ví que hay ripias solares, empecé a buscar información y me encontré con esta novedad!
Seria fabuloso para mí y una gran bendición, tener ese tinte solar para colocar sobre el techo de metal galvanizado! Por favor, espero respuestas y el coste!
arguelles67@aol.com
4 Comments
- 911 Days Ago
- 11/22/2010
AFFORDABLE SUSTAINABLE SOLAR INTEGRATED TILE ROOF SYSTEM
This is an example of Unisolar PVL 68's integrated in an Artezanos Hybrid TIPV. This qualifies for the minimum 30% federal tax credit on "Qualified Solar Electric Property"...The system can be expanded in the future with more solar laminates!
http://issuu.com/artezanos/docs/www.artezanos.com
Dan
arguelles67@aol.com
4 Comments
- 905 Days Ago
- 11/28/2010
Re: AFFORDABLE SUSTAINABLE SOLAR INTEGRATED TILE ROOF SYSTEM
ARTEZANOS HYBRID TIPV :
http://www.artezanos.com/tile_integrated_photovoltaic.html
Asphalt Shingles! Give me a friggin break!
arguelles67@aol.com
4 Comments
- 892 Days Ago
- 12/11/2010
Re: AFFORDABLE SUSTAINABLE SOLAR INTEGRATED TILE ROOF SYSTEM
AMERICAN ROOF SYSTEM WITH AMERICAN MADE CIGS THIN FILM!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tndbkoTbnmc
arguelles67@aol.com
4 Comments
- 885 Days Ago
- 12/18/2010
Re: AFFORDABLE SUSTAINABLE SOLAR INTEGRATED TILE ROOF SYSTEM
Thank you for allowing me to share my thoughts and educate you a bit on the Artezanos Hybrid System!
All true barrel tiles are two piece systems. They consist of 50% of the "Cover Tiles" (the ones you see) and 50% of "Pan Tiles" (the undertiles you don't see). True barrel tiles are more expensive because they are heavier and have more pieces per square (100sqft.) and also require more labor. As you have experienced, heavier products transported over distance also increase costs substantially.
Please click to see various Artezanos jobs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMmjREM6aKk
The Artezanos Hybrid System overcomes these challenges by using the roof tile where it creates the most aesthetic impact (only as covers) and substituting the "Pan Tiles" with a much higher performing "Universal Pan Tile". This Universal Pan Tile is made in U.S.A. and saves you greatly on transportation, installation, roof loading, breakage & waste.
St. Pete hybrid job: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqUMV6spkgE&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL
Coral Gables hybrid job: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vx9u2wePaqs&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL
Miami Beach hybrid job: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlK-2k4Soa8&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL
Miami hybrid job: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrCR5bzBbtw
Miramar hybrid job: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EubFOg0a9No&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL
The Universal Pan is the sustainable cost effective choice because it incorporates recycled aluminum and promotes the use of metal recycling at the end of its useful life. Your choice of a round pan starter or an Italiano starter natural clay pan begin the course of tile at the roofs edge to preserve the look and determine the architectural barrel roof tile style of your choice.
We simply use the Artezanos Handmade Tile as the covers. By installing such a roof on your home, you increase your installation uplift performance by almost 100%. The Hybrid has been tested Class "A" Fire Rating at Southwest Research Labs in San Antonio ,Texas. The system can be integrated with CIGS THIN FILM by SOLOPOWER and help you leverage a 30% Federal Tax Credit over the entire expense of the roof.
Solar Hybrid Option SOLOPOWER: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tndbkoTbnmc&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL
Solar Hybrid : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qf-7zLQ8O4Q&feature=related
Solar Hybrid Green roof: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqLC23UyER8&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL
There are too many advantages to mention, however I feel the economics should easily work within your budget. Please feel free to ask me any questions, I will be more than happy to work with you to insure your project's success.
Recycling of Historic Barrel Tile: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Va4tNaTxius&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL
Thanks,
Dan Arguelles
Artezanos Inc.
www.artezanos.com
rodney
1 Comment
- 656 Days Ago
- 08/04/2011
solar intergrated building products
My company(US owned and manufactured in US)makes solar intergrated building products.We currently make solar intergrated shingles for homes and bussiness.We also have a flat roof system.They are inexpensive and easy to install.Roofers ,builders can istall them easily.Please contact me at (rodneyturner10@gmail.com)
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edwardborland
7 Comments
Dye Solar Cells
Dyesol (http://www.dyesol.com) are working with Corus is developing solar steel roofing and cladding. The pilot plant was commissioned in June and the plan, all going well, is to have a volume manufacturing plant operating in 2011. Corus manufactures 100million square metres of steel cladding a year and intends 20 million square metres to be solar steel by 2016.
"Dyesol's solar technology works well in all light conditions; it doesn't need bright sunlight," Tulloch says. "The layers of a DSC can be deposited on a range of products, such as facade glass and steel roofing."
In a nutshell, the technology mimics the photosynthesis process of trees and plants, and can be used in many applications that would be impossible for conventional photovoltaic technology, meaning the voltage is more or less independent of lightlevels.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/small-business/dyesol-duos-power-play-solar-power-innovators/story-e6frg9hf-1225790221469
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mkogrady
425 Comments
Re: Dye Solar Cells
The small shingle approach looks to be less efficient and could benefit by converting to larger vertical steel roofing panels.
Steel roofs are great platforms in the sense they are about 36 inches wide and up to 40 feet in length. They're galvanized and water tight of course, but a bigger benefit would be to lay a substrate down, then apply some thin film solar module over the top to keep the costs and weight as low as possible.
The steel roof would probably outlast the actual solar panel function. Supposedly, these roofs can last 50 years before needing replacement.
Another option would be to develop modular panels that can be an aftermarket add-on to steel roofs, so as the panels become more efficient a home owner can make a call to a solar installer to pull the old ones off and install newer units without having to replace the entire roof.
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