Every time I read something on this, it just keeps getting better…we may actually have a solar product people will really buy…. on a large scale
From ICIS:
DOW POWERHOUSE Solar Shingle – photovoltaic panels that can be installed on rooftops with standard asphalt shingle materials.
Technology from DSS would integrate low-cost, thin-film CIGS (copper indium gallium deselenide) photovoltaic cells into roofing shingles In 2007, Dow received $20m in funding from the US Department of Energy (DoE) to develop building-integrated solar arrays for the residential and commercial markets.
Dow’s (DOW) solar shingle system will cost on average 10% less than applied solar panels – those that are bolted onto rooftops, and 40% less than similar building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) systems, Palmieri said.
BIPV systems, while in existence today, are “very boutique and very niche” as well as expensive. Also, applied systems have major aesthetic limitations, she added.
The cost to the average US homeowner consumer would be around $27,000 for the DOW POWERHOUSE system versus around $30,000 to upwards of $45,000 today, excluding federal, state and local subsidies, Palmieri said.
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“We eliminate the need for a solar installer or electrician, since our product is installed just like a conventional shingle – by roofers,” she noted.
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Dow will first sell its solar shingle systems directly to major homebuilders such as Hovnanian (HOV), Pulte (PHM) and Lennar (LEN). “We’ll sell directly to the builders initially as we’re interested in proving that this product can drive solar adoption rates for the masses,” Palmieri said.
The potential here is simply stunning. Rather than pester people to turn off lights or get a better light bulb, if the gov’t is truly concerned with energy use, then providing tax incentives or credits for people using this technology is simply the best and most effective way to do it. It also has the neat little side effect of putting contractors back to work in droves.
Go to the homebuilder. If you want to differentiate your product from the other guys and sell some new homes, why not implement this into every design and tout the “green energy savings” the buyer will enjoy.
State and local governments can jump ahead of the Feds and give incentives for both contractors and homeowners to use the system. If Arizona can get the cost down the $7, there isn’t any reason other States cannot follow suit.
