LinkNotes: Solar shingles

Solar shingles

Solar shingles, also called photovoltaic shingles, are photovoltaic cells designed to look like conventional asphalt shingles. There are several varieties of solar shingles, including shingle-sized solid panels that take the place of a number of conventional shingles in a strip, semi-rigid designs containing several silicon solar cells that are sized more like conventional shingles, and newer systems using various thin film solar cell technologies that match conventional shingles both in size and flexibility.

clipped from dvice.com

Dow Powerhouse solar panels look like ordinary rooftop shingles

Dow Solar Solutions figured out a way to make solar panels look just like regular roofing shingles. Dow is launching these Powerhouse Solar Shingles next year, claiming they'll be 30 to 40% cheaper than other solar panels that look like roofing tiles. The company said the shingles will be more than 10% efficient, but cost around 15% less on a per-watt basis.

clipped from www.dailytech.com
Dow Puts Traditional Panels to Shame With New Solar Shingle

The new shingles use a thin film of copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) to capture solar energy. As a result, the cells which are encased in molded plastic are relatively flexible, unlike their photovoltaic cousins. And while these elements (such as indium) are quite expensive in bulk, they're used extremely sparingly, keeping costs low.