Solar shingles are about to become a market reality

Courtesy of Dow Chemical. Solar power has a lot of implementation issues, not the least of which is just getting solar panels installed. This looks like a big step in the right direction. These aren’t going to be cheap right off the bat, but they are going to remove a lot of installation issues from going solar on a building.

From the link:

Dow Chemical is moving full speed ahead to develop roof shingles embedded with photovoltaic cells. To facilitate the move, the U.S. Department of Energy has backed Dow’s efforts with a $17.8 million tax credit that will help the company launch an initial market test of the product later this year.

In October 2009, the chemical giant unveiled its product, which can be nailed to a roof like ordinary shingles by roofers without the help of specially trained solar installers or electricians. The solar shingles will cost 30 to 40 percent less than other solar-embedded building materials and 10 percent less than the combined costs of conventional roofing materials and rack-mounted solar panels, according to company officials.

Sunny future: Dow Chemical hopes to transform the solar power industry by integrating solar cells with conventional roofing shingles .

Credit: Dow Chemical

Solar shingles

Now we’re talking. I’d love to have something like this new tech on my sun-drenched house selling power back to the grid. Dow Chemical may have a winner here if this solar energy application actually works.

From the link:

Solar shingles is not a new disease, but Dow Chemical Co. hopes they spread like gangrene.

During the past year, engineers, scientists and others at Dow Solar Solutions — a $50 million investment — have worked at a photovoltaic facility, a retrofitted former research and development building in the company’s sprawling 1,900-acre complex here.

Their goal is to produce thermoplastic solar roof shingles for sale throughout North America. With President Barack Obama’s insistence on renewable energy and conservation, the time is ripe for such an enterprise, said Robert J. Cleereman, senior director of solar development for Dow.

Using thin film photovoltaic technology, Dow intergrates solar cells with shingles. By 2011, officials expect to begin selling the product with its partners — home builders Lennar Corp. of Miami, Pulte Homes Inc. of Bloomfield Hills and Jefferson City, Mo.-based Prost Builders Inc., and Global Solar Energy, a maker of flexible materials.

(Hat tip — Steve P.)