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Because United Solar's materials are flexible and lightweight, they can be easier and cheaper to install than conventional crystalline-silicon solar cells, and they can be applied to curved roof designs, says Susas. United Solar's amorphous-silicon photovoltaics also perform better than conventional crystalline-silicon solar cells under low light and high temperature, he says.
"BIPV is very interesting because it offsets some of the costs associated with installation and will probably occupy a larger market share of the residential portion of the market," says Michael Locascio, a senior analyst with Lux Research, in New York. "But that portion is very small," he adds. That's because BIPV systems are primarily limited to new home construction or situations in which the owner needs to replace the roof.
And although the adoption of solar power is growing fast, Locascio cautioned that the future of the industry, at least in the United States, is uncertain. The federal Investment Tax Credit, one of the key incentives driving the adoption of solar power in the United States, is set to expire at the end of the year, and it is unclear whether Congress will extend it.
Currently, Europe remains the largest market for BIPV and solar products in general, says Susas. "There are very high incentives for BIPV in Italy and France." For instance, United Solar currently sells its solar laminates to a large asphalt-shingle manufacturer in Italy that supplies residential clients with solar shingles.
Developers think these phase-change materials could reduce the need for air-conditioning.
Thin but efficient solar cells use one-tenth the silicon of conventional cells.
I applaud any effort to produce energy from the sun, but this system simply doesn't produce enough energy per square foot. Mono or polycrystalline panels produce much more wattage per square foot. A buddy of mine just installed some Sharp ND-224U2's with dimensions of 65.16 x 39.76 x 4.25 that outputs 36.6V/8.33A/224W each. He's got six of them up on his roof and they are fantastic. He'll probably add another six or eight up on his garage if he can scrape together the cash.
The point here is that the thin-film solar solution may be good for some applications, but there's simply not enough wattage produced. Hopefully as the technology matures we'll see the efficiency improve as well. I hope someday everyone will get to experience the joy of watching the meter on the front of the house spin backward like my buddy's does.
Re: Interesting, but no thanks.
hello Guys,
Here is a very interesting web site for people who decided to install solar panels on the roof, these guys have some very good prices
www.SolarMaxDirect.com
Better paint roofs white. Better against global warming...
Ecotretas
These roofs actually are expected to last 30+ years, dependent on the manufacturer/provider, and are even geared more toward commercial than just residential. EnergyPeak roofs are building integrated and the thin film solar laminates are more flexible so they’re more functional and cheaper to install than previous solar panels. Plus, for those cloudy areas, it also achieves higher relative efficiency under high temps and low light compared to other technology.
Excellent post on metal roofing materials. As explained in your post, metal roofing products are an essential ingredient to quality build construction projects. A great resource to start with is the McGraw Hill metal roofing materials
directory. I work for McGraw hill and can vouch that I have never seen a more useful directory full of top quality solutions. You can get lists of products, manufacturers, detailed information, images, and even download CAD details from their site. Hope this helps.
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mkogrady
425 Comments
Roof Longevity and Efficiency
The metal roof lasts 20 years? This is horrible for a metal roofing solution. Why so short? If the ROI is 10 years and it lasts for another 10, then you have to replace it again? Go back to the drawing board.
We're not talking automobiles here. These are peoples homes!
Also - how many squares is a 7K system? If people are moving into smaller and smaller homes, then you may not have enough space up top to even install a standalone system.
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RobertBritt
1 Comment
Re: Roof Longevity and Efficiency
Most shingles only have a 20 year warranty. That doesn't mean it stops functioning on the anniversary. This could last long after 20 years. On the other hand, even 20 years of producing energy free of pollution (other than that originally caused by manufacturing) is a step in the right direction. I wonder how the carbon footprint of the manufacturing process compares to standard metal roofing.
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