Solar Shingles: An Emerging Solar Technology
Solar shingles are solar photovoltaic (PV) roofing tiles that are designed to seamlessly replace conventional asphalt or concrete roof shingles, generating electricity from sunlight. These solar shingles are thin-film solar modules that are encapsulated between two tempered glass tiles or laminate back sheets that look similar to traditional roofing materials. With the addition of solar shingles on the roof, homeowners can generate clean solar electricity while maintaining the aesthetic appeal of their homes.
Technology behind Solar Shingles
Solar shingles use thin-film solar cell technology to convert sunlight into electricity. Thin-film solar cells are made by depositing one or more thin layers of photovoltaic material on a substrate, such as glass, steel or plastic. Popular thin-film technologies used in Solar Shingles include amorphous silicon, cadmium telluride and copper indium gallium selenide. These thin films of semiconducting materials possess photovoltaic properties that enable them to convert light directly into electricity.
The thin-film solar cells in each solar shingle are typically networked together and wired in the field to channel the generated current. An inverter then converts the direct current (DC) electricity from the solar shingles into alternating current (AC) power that can be fed into the home's electrical system or sold back to the grid. Similar to regular asphalt shingles, solar shingles are manufactured in various shapes, sizes and colors to blend seamlessly with different roofing styles.
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