Solar Shingles

In many areas you see roofs covered with solar panels and know that the people inside are getting the benefits of solar-generated electricity. But what about wind, snow or just the fact that they look boxy?

Solar, or photovoltaic, cells are arrays containing silicon which absorb the photons from sunlight. As a result this bumps electrons in the material and their movement produces electricity. A massed array of these cells can produce a great quantity of direct, DC, current.

In the past few years interest in solar power has increased exponentially. Almost everyone dreams of not having to pay power bills so this is fueling a whole new industry. And part of this innovation is the introduction of solar shingles which fit in with, or replace, normal roofing shingles

A solar array has been made in the shape of the asphalt tab shingle and can be either woven in with the rest of the roofing or put down in large clusters. In other words you can replace individual shingles or the whole roof, depending on your requirements.

Each shingle is wired below the roof deck where the wires are gathered into a conduit and then to a central source of batteries, controllers, fuses and a power converter for AC appliances and lights.

These units are guaranteed for 20 years, or about the same time as a normal shingle. However, to replace them would be more expensive than normal shingles even 20 years down the road.