OK, I need a new roof and, being the Green Guy that I am, I’m thinking solar. But I don’t much care for those raised solar panels. Apparently there is an option for integrating the PV elements into what looks like ordinary shingles. I assume they are more expensive, and not quite as efficient (due to design constraints and added heating without airflow underneath).
Does anyone have any experience with these things? Advice would be appreciated.
I’m also interested in durability as compared to conventional panels.
One of my very good friends sells solar stuff in the area. He’s very well informed, and he’s also very passionate about it. If you’re interested, I could send you his info.
Now, it’s true that you save on mounting brackets, but the shingles are slower to install, because you need to drill holes in the roof decking. Of course, you save on the price of shingles, so the price differential is a little less than the figures above. They do look much nicer than panels, and that’s worth something.
One thing to consider is orientation. You need to have a pretty much South-facing slope for these to work.
I looked into them a little and talked to my installer about them. I actually think my panels have a certain techie coolness factor. The Panels are suppose to last 25+ years. The Shingles were rated lower, but I don’t recall how much lower. I think it was still 20 years.
My panels are only raised a few inches are you sure this is too much?
Have you started looking into any state rebates or grants for your area? They might limit your tech choices.
If this is a hijack, pardon me–but I would really like to get either solar panels or these shingle styles, but since I live in Portland OR (residents motto: “yes, it does rain a lot here, thanks for asking!”) I’m a little dubious as to whether or not they’d be worth installing. My house is tiny, about 700SF, oriented with the long axis (30’) running N/S. I have two big rectangles of roof, one oriented due east with a HUGE maple that overhangs and shades it all spring and summer, but the west side is unobstructed. Pitch on the roof is about 3:10 (rise/run) and there’s nothing that faces south at all.
Would I just be pissing money away buying solar panels, or would they actually do me any good? I’m not expecting to get off the grid or anything, but I wouldn’t mind encouraging PGE’s stranglehold on my wallet to loosen a bit… :rolleyes:
Can you send me a personal message with his contact info? Thanks.
BTW, I just got From Vines to Wines in the mail today from Amazon. I skimmed it earlier this evening, and it looks exactly like what I was looking for!
[hijack]Hmmm. Having just got done with 6 years in Eugene, I can honestly say that this is just a rumor started to discourage others from moving there. Sure, it’s a little cloudy for half the year, but what you guys call rain is just a pathetic drizzle. Then, during the summer months, rain is all you can pray for. Until i moved there, I don’t think I ever went such a long stretch without rain.[/hijack]
With respect to the solar panels i only wonder how long they last before they have to be replaced. Do they lose efficiency over time?
