| Solar shingles, or photovoltaic shingles, are | | | | with greater ease thanks to the reduced |
| photovoltaic cells designed to look similar to | | | | installation cost. |
| normal asphalt shingles. They were first | | | | Constructors in California like Lennar are |
| commercially produced in 2005. In an interview | | | | collaborating with SunPower to offer new |
| with Reuters, the Dow Chemical Company's | | | | construction solar homes that have solar systems |
| spokesperson estimated that their entry into the | | | | already installed before people move in. |
| solar shingle market would create $5 billion in | | | | Decreasing the expenses and utilizing solar roof |
| revenue by 2015 and $10 billion by 2020. | | | | tile technology makes solar a default option, |
| These shingles harvest sunlight and convert it into | | | | making solar a reasonable solution to decrease |
| electricity. Generally, they are 12 inches wide and | | | | electricity expenses. |
| 86 inches long and can be stapled directly to | | | | Solar shingles look like normal roofs as they have |
| roofing cloth. They have 5 inches of exposed | | | | a deep, dark, purplish blue color. Home owners |
| area when applied. Various models of shingles | | | | may be attracted to them because of their |
| have different mounting requirements. Some may | | | | aesthetic value, letting the home owner to use |
| need special installation while most others can be | | | | solar power without having to install large solar |
| installed directly onto the roof between normal | | | | panels on their roofs. Some solar shingles are |
| asphalt shingles. | | | | made of polymatrix which only some |
| All photovoltaic electricity is produced in the form | | | | manufacturers produce. These shingles |
| of direct current (DC). Our homes use alternating | | | | incorporate well into current roofs. |
| current (AC). Installation costs of solar shingles | | | | Using the grid as a backup source of electricity is |
| usually include the cost of an inverter that | | | | the most economical way of installing these |
| converts direct current to alternating current. | | | | shingles. Batteries are costly and the installation |
| Old solar shingles were costlier to install than | | | | becomes even more complicated and they are |
| traditional PV panels, but new, more efficient | | | | not economically feasible in large scale as backup |
| designs like thin film copper indium gallium selenide | | | | storage. Extra hardware is always required for |
| (CIGS) cells can be installed in under 10 hours. | | | | battery backup. This includes battery enclosures, |
| Older, traditional panels took 22 to 30 hours for | | | | batteries, separate sub panels for critical load |
| the installation. Solar power can be implemented | | | | circuits and battery charge controllers. |