Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Solar Shingles - A New Breakthrough to Harness Solar Energy

Within the past few years, many breakthroughs have been made in the solar energy market. One of these recent breakthroughs happens to be the emergence of solar shingles. They are made to look like regular shingles. However, they actually have very thin film photovoltaic cells in them, helping to harness the power from the sun. Not only do the amorphous silicon shingles look great, but they also are quite powerful. With all the engineering that has gone into the design of solar shingles, they are a lot more effective than traditional solar panels. They are durable, allowing them to make great shingles, but they also absorb a lot more light than many of the other solar materials available today. These new solar shingles definitely make a great addition to the roof of any home.

Ventilated plywood is usually used as an under-decking for these solar shingles. This is done because of the huge amount of heat that is absorbed by the shingles. When installed, they are actually installed just like regular shingles are installed. They are overlapped and they offer the protection that traditional shingles offer from rain and other weather. The shingles have wiring that goes through the roof deck and the wiring comes to an area where a solar inverter is kept to be connected to the wiring from all the roof shingles.

A special EVA compound that is heat activated is what actually holds these solar shingles in place. This is used to make sure that the shingles do not move or shift around if high winds occur. Quite a bit of energy is required to make these shingles, but it only takes about 2-12 months to produce the same amount of energy that it took to create them. After they are installed on a roof, they definitely will pay for themselves. They have a lifespan of about 20 years, which definitely gives them plenty of time to pay for themselves and more.

Many people really like the solar shingles because they actually blend in well. They look just like other types of roofing materials. This means that you can barely tell that they are solar panels, which offers aesthetic benefits over going with the traditional roof solar panels that are so often seen on top of roofs today. With the incredible power generation that they offer, they definitely are a cutting edge technology available in the solar energy field today. Even though they look just like regular shingles, they have much to offer in the way of solar energy. If you don't like the way that solar panels look on top of a roof, then this is a great option for you. You'll get the quality shingles that you need on your roof and you'll also benefit from all the solar energy that these solar shingles provide as well.

No comments: