Here is an inconvenient truth that advocates of alternative energy sources are reluctant to admit – traditional solar panels can be a bit of an eyesore.
Especially in a residential setting, bulky solar panels may detract from the aesthetic of any house, no matter how much the owner tries to convince you otherwise.
Think about the streets in your neighborhood, and ask yourself how many of the homes actually have visible solar panels, and you will quickly realize that they are not very popular.
However, you can still have all the benefits of solar power in your home without disfiguring it. Thanks to advances in solar technology over the last decade or so, there are now alternatives to traditional solar panels.
Specifically, building-applied photovoltaics (BAPVs) are a discreet way of installing solar technology in your home – no one will even be able to detect them.
Commercial BAPVs
Actually, BAPVs are already widely used in commercial buildings.
For example, they are often applied to flat roofs in the form of a flexible polymer roofing membrane that includes a thin film solar cell.
They are also built into the façades of many new commercial buildings, and are commonly retrofitted when old buildings are upgraded.
There are also transparent and translucent variants that can be directly applied to windows and skylights in commercial buildings, turning vast expanses of glass into miniature power plants.
Residential BAPVs
From a residential perspective, you can get BAPVs that are shaped like multiple roof tiles, and there also individual solar shingles that behave and look like regular shingles.
If you are contemplating having your roof replaced at any point, then this is an option that you should seriously consider.
Evaluating your rooftop solar opportunity
However, you do need to keep in mind that the amount of energy that a BAPV will generate depends on how much the sun shines where you live.
For instance, the energy output that you will get if you live in Redmond, Washington, will differ significantly from what you would get if you lived in Phoenix.
If you want to get more information about exactly what you can expect, then it is a good idea to talk to a roofing contractor or a contractor in the area you live.
Benefits to BAPVs
There are also other benefits to installing solar shingles on your roof. To start with, they absorb ultraviolet light – which is how they generate power – and this in turn protects the insulation and membranes on the roof from ultraviolet degradation.
They are also typically a dark blue-purple color, so they look very similar to regular shingles and give the roof an attractive appearance.
New developments in solar shingle technology allow for solar shingles to be produced in nearly any colour or shape, making it nearly impossible to tell the shingles have PV technology built into them at all.
For example, the solar roof options unveiled by Tesla, pictured below.
Finally, while solar shingles used to be more expensive to install than traditional solar panels, modern solar shingles can be installed in less than half the time it takes to install a solar panel, making them much more cost-effective.
There may also be government subsidies and concessions available to you if you install solar shingles or any other BAPV. However, these vary depending on the state where you live.
To find out the incentives available in your state, take a look at the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE) or contacting a local solar provider in your area.
Everything you need to know about BAPVs
What’s missing from this story is that if you’re after performance then you don’t want solar tiles. Silicon based solar technology works off of light not heat. The hotter a solar panel gets, the poorer it will perform. You’ll get your best performance on a cold, bright winter’s day than you will during the peak of summer. Solar tiles do not allow for any air flow so they offer poorer performance than conventional solar panels.
What is ugly about a product on your roof that earns you $$$$?
I’d rather have the solar panels over the solar tiles. However, either solar option would look better than a corrugated steel roof.
Demand the same “aesthetic standards” for satellite dishes, antennaes, air conditioners, evsporative coolers and skylights. This assinine attitude is supported by fossil fues utilities and helped destroy solar energy even in AZ in the ’80’s, by requiring expensive parapets be built around solar panels on the roof.
“solar panels are an eyesore. Especially in a residential setting, they detract from the aesthetic of any house, no matter how much the owner tries to convince you otherwise. Think about the streets in your neighborhood, and ask yourself how many of them actually have visible solar panels, and you will quickly realize that they are not very popular.” This is INSANE and not at all true. it breaks my heart when i see this – bashing solar in general just to promote your product. you should be ashamed of yourself. solar panels are not an eyesore, and they are very common. shame on you.