4 ms·

Might be the market is showing that solar shingles are stupid like solar roadways when compared to the alternatives. But solar shingles does sound cool.

tgsovlerkhgsel 6y ago
Dumb question: Couldn't you build a roof from plain old solar panels, somehow sealed together? Put them next to each other with sealant in between horizontally, shingled vertically (this also allows you to have a drainage hole in the bottom of each panel if needed).
- birdyrooster 6y ago
  I think the issue is sealing the panels for expansion and contraction during seasonal temperature changes. Layers of shingles can expand and contract by sliding overtop of each other and butting into each other. There are gaps in the shingle installation for this purpose and only two nails are used per shingle to keep them from buckling and splitting. The overlap of many shingles is what typically keeps the water from being able to get underneath (which will start rotting wood and shorting connections). So if you didn’t have layers of paneling like Tesla is doing, you really don’t have a roof, since it will get water under it and eventually leak a lot. Source: norm on this old house
chipsa 6y ago
Solar shingles aren't nearly as stupid as solar roadways. We already put solar panels on roofs. This just integrates it into the waterproofing layer of the roof, instead of sitting on top. Solar roadways have the problem of: you need to -ing drive on them. So you need to build them strong enough to support the weight of a tractor trailers, while also making sure it has traction. Which goes against the ability of the solar panels to actually see the sun well.
- birdyrooster 6y ago
  But part of why solar roadways also suck (and how they are similar to solar shingles) is they 1) use less efficient cells than standard mounted panels. One article I found calculated an astonishingly poor 4.9% efficiency based on Tesla's own specs, 2) are stuck with the angle of the road/roof surface to the sun which can reduce capacity further, and 3) they have many more connections which can degrade and eventually short to ground (particularly if water gets under the flashing). Lots of complexity and money for quite sub-optimal solar generation. Also despite everyone saying they look "beautiful" I think they are too busy because of how reflective they are and take away from the architectural beauty. If solar shingles end up being a failure, people will be able to recognize your roof, and now your house is now an eyesore with crapware on top of it that needs to be replaced. source: https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2020/02/10/whats-the-efficiency-of-a-tesla-glass-tile-solar-roof/ https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2020/02/10/whats-the-efficiency-...

tgsovlerkhgsel 6y ago

Dumb question: Couldn't you build a roof from plain old solar panels, somehow sealed together? Put them next to each other with sealant in between horizontally, shingled vertically (this also allows you to have a drainage hole in the bottom of each panel if needed).

birdyrooster 6y ago
I think the issue is sealing the panels for expansion and contraction during seasonal temperature changes. Layers of shingles can expand and contract by sliding overtop of each other and butting into each other. There are gaps in the shingle installation for this purpose and only two nails are used per shingle to keep them from buckling and splitting. The overlap of many shingles is what typically keeps the water from being able to get underneath (which will start rotting wood and shorting connections). So if you didn’t have layers of paneling like Tesla is doing, you really don’t have a roof, since it will get water under it and eventually leak a lot. Source: norm on this old house

chipsa 6y ago

Solar shingles aren't nearly as stupid as solar roadways. We already put solar panels on roofs. This just integrates it into the waterproofing layer of the roof, instead of sitting on top. Solar roadways have the problem of: you need to -ing drive on them. So you need to build them strong enough to support the weight of a tractor trailers, while also making sure it has traction. Which goes against the ability of the solar panels to actually see the sun well.

birdyrooster 6y ago
But part of why solar roadways also suck (and how they are similar to solar shingles) is they 1) use less efficient cells than standard mounted panels. One article I found calculated an astonishingly poor 4.9% efficiency based on Tesla's own specs, 2) are stuck with the angle of the road/roof surface to the sun which can reduce capacity further, and 3) they have many more connections which can degrade and eventually short to ground (particularly if water gets under the flashing). Lots of complexity and money for quite sub-optimal solar generation. Also despite everyone saying they look "beautiful" I think they are too busy because of how reflective they are and take away from the architectural beauty. If solar shingles end up being a failure, people will be able to recognize your roof, and now your house is now an eyesore with crapware on top of it that needs to be replaced. source: https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2020/02/10/whats-the-efficiency-of-a-tesla-glass-tile-solar-roof/ https://pv-magazine-usa.com/2020/02/10/whats-the-efficiency-...