| Photovoltaic shingles are one of the newest and | | | | photovoltaic shingles are meant to appear just like |
| interesting developments in solar panel technology to | | | | regular shingles and are also installed in similarly. |
| reach the renewable power industry in years. | | | | Not counting the aesthetic considerations of these |
| Solar power is rapidly becoming the alternative energy | | | | new photovoltaic shingles for a home, they are also |
| choice for a lot of people and many new products | | | | more resilient than a conventional box type panels in a |
| have been launched to make adding one of these | | | | number of ways. Because they're installed on the roof |
| systems easier and better looking on your house. | | | | directly, they're able to support a lot more weight than |
| Photovoltaic shingles are created to be installed on a | | | | a normal solar panel. |
| house like normal shingles and do away with the | | | | This is important in colder climates in which serious |
| requirement for big, roof-mounted solar panels. No | | | | snow can twist and break an ordinary panel during the |
| need for the big clunky looking boxes on your roof. | | | | winter time. Additionally they lay down flat on the roof, |
| They feature identical functionality as the big panel | | | | which eliminates the potential for damage from high |
| boxes and will still the environmentally friendly job of | | | | wind gusts raising them off the roof. Traditional box |
| transforming sun light to solar power but look a whole | | | | panels should be extremely strongly secured in places |
| lot better doing it. | | | | that have high winds and may still be destroyed with |
| This makes them suitable for brand new construction. | | | | time by severe gusts. |
| It would be excellent if many new homes included | | | | An additional benefit these types of photovoltaic |
| photovoltaic shingles installed on them when they are | | | | shingles offer is concealed wiring. With traditional solar |
| built. The pluses are the clean electrical power we all | | | | panel systems, the cabling between the panel boxes |
| can produce right from our roof. In addition you will get | | | | and the connection to the home is completed through |
| cost savings from your electrical company on your | | | | a conduit that is anchored to the roof and outside walls |
| electrical consumption and on the taxes associated | | | | of the home. |
| with your electric bill.. | | | | This is often yet another ugly element to normal solar |
| These new solar shingles are made possible by | | | | energy panels. Since the photovoltaic shingles are |
| recently available developments in flexible solar panel | | | | mounted flat to the roof and their cabling is passed |
| technology that makes use of another type of | | | | through the roof itself and connections are completed |
| process for making the actual solar cells. Normal solar | | | | inside the attic, there is no uncovered cabling, which |
| panels make use of silicon cells that are grown as | | | | produces a more long lasting and great look to the |
| fragile crystals over a week or more, and next put on | | | | home. |
| a support material and installed in a weather resistant | | | | Because retrofitting a current house even now is cost |
| box to be placed on the roof of your home. | | | | prohibitive, it may be advisable to consider using |
| Today's photovoltaic shingles are actually produced by | | | | conventional solar panels when adding solar to an |
| applying a specialized silicon solution onto a flexible | | | | existing home. By making your own solar panels you |
| substrate and producing the solar cells right on the | | | | can save a great deal of money on the cost of the |
| surface of the shingle. Once this material has been | | | | panels. They should still last you 20 years or more with |
| placed on the shingle, an additional protective coating | | | | today's technologies and products available for you to |
| of transparent sealer is added onto the surface to | | | | make them. |
| protect the solar cells against the weather. These | | | | |