New photovoltaic shingles to make going solar easier

Wouldn’t going solar be so much easier if you could simply slap a few photovoltaic tiles or shingles onto your roof instead of having to install an assembly of solar panels?

That’s what Dow Chemical Company thought, too. The company has now unveiled a line of DOW™ POWERHOUSE™ Solar Shingles that are designed to be easily integrated onto rooftops with standard asphalt shingles. The photovoltaic shingles are set to become available in limited quantities by the middle of next year, with wide availability in 2011.

Dow’s new technology integrates low-cost, thin-film CIGS (for “copper indium gallium selenide”) photovoltaic cells into a roofing shingle design that can be installed with roofing contractors at the same time as conventional roofing shingles. The shingles are expected to make it cheaper to go solar, as they can be installed by contractors with no specialised skills or knowledge of solar array installations.

Jane Palmieri, managing director of Dow Solar Solutions, noted that the new technology addresses two of the biggest challenges associated with solar power: cost and acceptance.

“This is about providing roof protection and electricity generation all from one product, with lower costs, improved aesthetics, easier installation and long-lasting performance,” she said.

Dow received $20 million in funding from the US Department of Energy in 2007 to develop “building-integrated” solar arrays for the residential and commercial markets.