As someone who believes that the exterior appearance of a home is as important as the interior, and who also believes that whatever we can do to be more energy efficient is a good thing, here are solar panels that are as attractive as the homes they’re serving.
Whether you call them solar shingles, photovoltaic shingles, or building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPVs), they’re solar cells designed to look like conventional asphalt shingles but they contain thin film photovoltaic cells to harness the sun’s power.
Because they’re so discrete in their appearance, they blend into the appearance of conventional roofing materials for a seamless look.
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| Are these asphalt or solar roof shingles? |
To designers, architects, and homeowners alike, it’s an amazing breakthrough in the solar energy market, and especially useful if the esthetics of a house matters to you.
There are many companies in the market who have introduced solar shingles, and even one who offers solar roof tiles that conform to the curved shape of clay roof tiles.
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| These curved solar panels are from SRS Energy. |
A Google search for “solar roof shingles” brings up many vendors. Here are just a few of them in no particular order of preference:
OkSolar
Uni-Solar
SRS Energy
This article in no way endorses either the companies herein or the products they offer. It’s merely intended to point you in this direction.
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