Should You Replace Your Roofs With Solar Shingles?
Posted on July 12, 2022
Solar panels have the biggest technological growth in the last two decades. With over 25% energy collection efficiency, durability, and long-term lifespan, solar panels have become the widely-accepted renewable energy source worldwide. However, solar shingle technologies are growing at a fast pace, and it is becoming the new staple for the technology.
Tesla was the first one to create solar shingles with advanced available technologies. It boosted roof aesthetics by looking like roof shingles. The solar panel tech it had was also its downfall because only Tesla specialists can install, adjust, and repair the solar shingles. Fortunately, Tesla wasn’t the only one building their alternative to panels.
GAF Roofing introduced one of the most effective solar shingle designs in history. While it uses the same principles as solar panels, it has achieved much more by letting GAF-certified roofers do the installations as they would a regular asphalt shingle system. This quality had possibly expanded the usability and adoption of their solar shingle technologies.
HOA and neighborhood compatibility is one of the major problems solar shingles can solve for homeowners. Many homes across the country intend to use solar panels and shingles because of the potential energy savings. However, many homeowners associations discourage it because it affects the uniformity and aesthetics of the local area.
If you’re planning to replace your existing solar panel system or old roofing materials with shingles, here are a few things to consider, according to Bankrate.
What are solar shingles?
Solar shingles or tiles are like regular roof shingles. But instead of being made of asphalt, clay or slate, they are made of glass that contain photovoltaic cells. Photovoltaic cells act as semiconductors and transfer energy collected from the sunlight into electrons, which can then become electrical current to power your home. Each shingle typically produces between 13 and 63 watts of energy, depending on the brand (one of the latest, by industry leader Tesla, claims to have a max power of 71 watts). While they both convert sunlight to energy, solar shingles are quite different from the solar panels (we’ll dig into the differences later).
The first solar shingles were developed by DOW Chemical Company, rolling out in 2011. But the concept began to get serious traction in 2016, when Tesla purchased manufacturer Solar City and began offering what it deemed the Tesla Solar Roof. Today, there are several brands of the solar roof tiles available through manufacturers like CertainTeed, GAF Energy, Luma, SunTegra and of course Tesla. (Dow dropped out of the game.)
The average size of a solar shingle or tile is about 12 inches wide by 86 inches long. It takes about 350 solar tiles for a standard-size roof. Tiles weigh about 13 pounds per square foot, so most roofs can handle them without additional reinforcement.
Work only with experienced solar panel and solar shingle installation teams, such as us at Roper Roofing & Solar. With decades of experience and knowledge, we ensure only the best installations for your project needs. Call us today.
