How CertainTeed, Sunflare, Tesla and 3 IN 1 ROOF aim to meet the needs of residential roofing.
By Mary Salmonsen | Builder
As of now, roof racks are the most common finds on today’s solar homes – but the next step forward, solar cells as roofing materials, has made its first appearances on the market. Most current products cover only a portion of the roof, while the rest of the roof consists of a conventional material. As such, solar roofing must both generate solar energy and meet the performance needs of the project. (Click here for an overview of all types of roofing materials)
CertainTeed’s Apollo II and Apollo Tile II solar roofing were among the first to market in 2017, with a power rating of 60 watts per shingle or tile. The Apollo II shingles have been tested to withstand pressures of up to 250 pounds per square foot, may be installed in wind zones up to 150 miles per hour, and carry a Class A fire rating.
While Apollo is available alongside conventional materials, other concepts envision solar shingles as all or part of a proprietary whole-roof covering. An incomplete list includes Tesla’s prototype, unveiled in 2016, Sunflare’s residential roof shingle prototype, recently unveiled at the 2018 Solar Power International Show, and the 3 IN 1 ROOF system, set to ship in 2019.
