Solar shingles, also called photovoltaic shingles, are solar panels designed to look like and function as conventional roofing materials, such as asphalt shingle or slate, while also producing electricity. Solar shingles are a type of solar energy solution known as building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV).
There are several varieties of solar shingles, including shingle-sized solid panels that take the place of a number of conventional shingles in a strip, semi-rigid designs containing several silicon solar cells that are sized more like conventional shingles, and newer systems using various thin-film solar cell technologies that match conventional shingles both in size and flexibility. There are also products using a more traditional number of silicon solar cells per panel reaching as much as 100 watts DC rating per shingle.[1]
Solar shingles are manufactured by several companies.[2][3]
- ^ "SunTegra Solar Shingle 100W". SunTegra Solar. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
- ^ Eckhouse, Brian (March 19, 2019). "Tesla has a new rival in its quest to make solar rooftops happen". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2019-03-19.
- ^ Goldstein, Matthew (2009-10-05). "Dow to sell solar shingle, sees huge market". Reuters. Retrieved 2009-10-08.