https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/01/new-solar-roof-can-be-nailed-just-like-old-school-shingles/
A new solar technology introduced yesterday at CES could bring power-producing roofs mainstream by relying on an old building material—nails.
For years, homeowners who wanted solar power have stripped their old roofs of shingles, added new ones, and then slapped large solar panels on top using sturdy frames. It's a model that works well, but it also creates a two-step process that engineers have been striving to simplify.
Plenty of companies have offered their own take on solar roofs, but so far, they've remained niche products. GAF Energy is hoping to change that with the Timberline Solar Energy Shingle that looks strikingly like typical asphalt shingles. But their key feature isn't so much that they emulate the look of asphalt shingles, but that they're installed in nearly the same way. Roofers can slap the flexible sheets down and nail the top strip to the roof, just like they do for traditional roofs.
By relying on the shingle installation process, GAF Energy is counting on the scale of the roofing industry to make solar more accessible. "The roofing ecosystem is 20–30 times larger than solar. In the United States, 200,000–300,000 people get a new solar system each year. Over 5 million get a new roof," Martin DeBono, CEO of GAF Energy, told Ars. "Our innovation is you now have a nailable solar roof, which fits the way that the majority of roofs are installed."
[...] The panels themselves are made out of monocrystalline PERC cells, which stands for "passivated emitter and rear contact," a type of construction that allows some of the photons that pass through the panel to be reflected back to it. That helps boost efficiency to 23 percent per cell, DeBono said. (He wouldn't say who their supplier is but made a point to say that they're not made in China.) The cells are fixed to a flexible substrate and topped with a hardened glass that'll withstand hail. The entire system can withstand hurricane-force winds up to 130 mph, and it's Class A fire rated. UL certified the shingles as both solar panels and roofing materials, a first, and they can be walked on like traditional shingles.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 06 2022, @05:38AM (5 children)
This sure sounds like what I was waiting for...but we gave up waiting and had a normal roof done some years back. Maybe in another 15 years our shingles will be ready for replacement?
One point, I hope the glass over the cells is hermetically sealed to glass on the back side as well. A good friend worked on solar cell manufacture & packaging for many years and the one thing that always ruined them was any water or moisture. Plastics don't stop moisture getting through, they have some finite permeability, needs to be glass.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 06 2022, @09:26AM
Came for the rats, was disappoint -1
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 06 2022, @04:21PM (1 child)
I just got a new roof. Wasn't going to play around with half-baked tech on arguably the most important part of my house.
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 06 2022, @05:07PM
Walls are more important. Otherwise your new roof would fall on your head.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 06 2022, @04:45PM (1 child)
From the look of it, these get nailed down on top of the existing shingles. The big thing is that normal roofers can do that part since it's the same method as shingles. Doesn't look like it's a full-on replacement for shingles.
(Score: 2) by optotronic on Friday January 07 2022, @03:09AM
I can't be certain, but the first picture in the article looks like they're nailing the solar shingles down over felt paper, not shingles.
The pictures also show that the solar shingles make up a part of the roof. They replace some of the shingles, not all of them.
I'm reluctant to try new materials until they're proven, but at first look this appears to be a better solution than other solar shingles, and probably cheaper than solar panels over shingles.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 06 2022, @02:01PM (1 child)
form follows function ...
"what's this new "gasoline" stuff? can i get one that looks like my present coal-powered steam car?"
"what's this concrete? can i use it to make it look my present mud-and-stick hut?"
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 06 2022, @03:31PM
I don't get your complaint. Material substitution is a common way to modify a product. Sometimes it's more successful than others, depending on the application and material properties. Here's a couple of examples:
* straight swap from metal to plastic for a structural part often fails because the plastic is weaker and more flexible--in this case there needs to be a re-design of the plastic part to restore function.
* straight swap from metal to plastic for a lightly stressed part can be a big win if the metal part is subject to corrosion.
Making solar shingles that are installed in nearly the same way as normal shingles may turn out to be a good substitution for a roof that already needed to be re-shingled. Most roofs aren't optimally aimed south, but if the installation cost is low enough the payback could still be acceptable.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 06 2022, @03:31PM (5 children)
Last longer and better for environment. Anyone have experience with metal roofs this article is from a possible biased source
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/how-your-roof-affects-the-environment-know-before-you-buy-300439645.html [prnewswire.com]
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 06 2022, @04:17PM (1 child)
A good friend built a super-insulated house out in the country. The roof is made of bonded sandwich panels--nice trim on the inside, 10" (250mm) of solid white foam and OSB (flake board but stronger) on the outside.
The whole thing has a metal roof nailed on top. When it rains hard you can hardly talk inside, the noise is so loud. Other than that, it's a good deal, I doubt he will have to replace it in his lifetime. Snow slides off nicely so it doesn't build up a heavy snow load.
While I haven't checked my local building codes, here in the 'burbs (a neighborhood mostly built in the 1950s) I don't think metal roofing is allowed...because there isn't any.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 06 2022, @04:47PM
Perhaps they aren't forbidden, it's just that all the home owners in your middle class suburb know of the problems with metal roofs, and can afford to continue with traditional roofing.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by bloodnok on Thursday January 06 2022, @06:13PM (2 children)
Our house is relatively new, super insulated and has a metal roof. I'd recommend them.
They can be noisy, but if properly fitted to plywood and then insulated you don't really hear anything. Not as quiet as cedar shakes, but nothing is. I live in a very quiet part of the world and the only time I hear noise from the roof is during hail.
I built our garage with the same type of roof. The roofer arrived with a coil of painted steel sheet, put it through a former on site and fitted it in strips. I think the whole process for about 600 sq ft took about three days. The garage was a little noisy inside, and hot, until I insulated the inside of the roof. Since then it's been great.
It's resilient, zero maintenance and looks pretty good. The only downside is that snow slides off pretty easily, but fences stop that.
__
The Major
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 06 2022, @07:29PM
How did you insulate the garage? Tack on the Pink Panther stuff, or do the spray foam? I've been considering spray foam for my roof and garage and was wondering the time and effort involved would be.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 07 2022, @12:02AM
Metal roofs are supposed to have snow guards to slow the falling of ice and snow off of them for safety. It's even required by code in many places and I believe most require them if they are overhangs you could walk under.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 06 2022, @04:35PM (1 child)
Elon promised me I could put a new solar roof on my house way back in 2016. Don't tell me he oversold and underdelivered you effin haters.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday January 07 2022, @01:42AM
The Tesla plant in Buffalo NY was built by NY State who also bought solar panel manufacturing equipment for Musk. That plant is meeting the hiring targets, but the solar panel manufacturing equipment was recently sold off. The Buffalo plant is reported to be making SuperCharger parts and other things now.
Here's a story from last year, https://buffalonews.com/business/local/teslas-focus-at-buffalo-plant-shifts-away-from-solar-energy-as-job-deadline-nears/article_c12edacc-c7a4-11eb-93ee-abff956329a4.html [buffalonews.com]
There was a more recent story, but the link didn't pop right up.
(Score: 2) by mcgrew on Thursday January 06 2022, @05:16PM
I just had a new roof put on in 2019. Cost me $14,000. I'm planning on getting solar after I pay off the mortgage, the insurance company insisted or they wouldn't insure it (I'd just bought the house).
mcgrewbooks.com mcgrew.info nooze.org
(Score: 2) by Rich on Thursday January 06 2022, @07:24PM
Let's look at the example picture.
- The shingles overlap top-to-bottom. The classic setup to keep water out. Fine.
- The shingles don't overlap side-to-side. Instead, they have half-round covers like usually found on a roof ridge. Might not be perfect in sideways-wind conditions, but overall, gravity should ensure that the water goes down rather than into the gap. However, the critical part, where the gap cover goes under the ridge cover is missing. Also, the gap cover looks a bit pants.
- The shingles a lot wider than usual shingles. About as wide as a regular solar panel, just a lot narrower. Why not use one of them regular all-black panels? Overlap/gap could be handled the same way, but it's a lot less mounting effort.
- Not made in China? That looks like part of the business plan is to sell the parts somewhat above the price what "premium" shingles, plus "premium" black solar panels, plus the framework for panel installation costs, because "you save so much effort". After the real bill is shown, it becomes a non-starter, and the idea goes down the drain.
I think some joining mechanism for ordinary black panels would be preferable overall. Either high-effort watertight, or low-effort splashproof.
The latter could work if one takes into account that in virtually all new installations there is heat insulation with plastic sheet on top. Replace that sheet with thin waterproof (but diffusion-permitting) EPDM and find a way how to efficiently seal the many mounting points for the shingle panels (metal beams over the wood beams). Like an EPDM form screw sleeve that can be vulcanized on.
Also have an assortment of spacers and end-pieces to complete the roof in one style. That's where stuff I've seen so far also falls short.