The Definition Of Solar Panel Roofing Shingles

The solar panel shingles are solar panels that are created to look like a roof shingle or roof tiles. Solar panel shingles cost more and much less effective compared to normal solar panels for your home, but there is however still a decent need for them. The principal appeal for home owners to use solar panel shingles, over standard solar roof panels, is that they tend to be more appealing. Large domestic solar panel installations can look unsightly on upmarket and designer houses, so a lot of these people are looking at solar panel shingles as a viable option to reduce their carbon footprint and save money on their power bill.

Solar panel shingles are of the polycrystalline type, as opposed to monocrystalline solar panels which are the most efficient solar panels you can get. There are presently only a few places in the us where you can acquire solar panel shingles (see below) and they come in several different forms. They often come aligned with a grid pattern and can be manufactured to match your current roof structure system. There are also custom made shingles that wil match your roofs and these are made from a thin film solar coating.

The 3 primary solar panel shingle makers in the U.S. are Dow, Eco Tech and SunPower. Several other smaller companies such as Atlantis Energy and Uni-Solar will be joining in at the solar shingles bandwagon looking to compete for a bit of of that top end market share. Here are some of the quick information on what this big players can offer. Your best option, in our judgment, is EcoTech Solar because they're the only real business who don't lock you in to making use of one of their own franchise companies or installers to set up your system.The great thing about Echo Tech is that you will have the chance to set it up on your own because they will be providing you manuals on how to set up the system and they also run their own website where you can actually purchase the shingles

SunPower produce their unique brand of SunTile shingles which are jet black and are only accessible through SunPower certified installers. They actually target those filthy rich households. The DOW POWERHOUSE Solar Shingle range isn't yet available, but it's going to to enter the market some time close to the end of 2011.

As mentioned earlier, solar panel shingles are definitely the most expensive and least effective type of domestic solar power. The most inexpensive that you can get is around $3.990 per kw output and that is $4 per watt and this is from Ecotech. Keep in mind this is the cheapest alternative in terms of solar panel shingles. Companies like DOW and SunPower offers their products in a more expensive price. To give you some perspective, it truly is worth remembering that typical solar panels charges around $1.00 - $3.00 for each watt depending on the quality as well as effectiveness.

Solar shingles can still be developed further for it to become more competitive in the solar market. The best solar power panels in terms of good value and efficiency are the medium sized monocrystalline panels. DIY Solar panels is still the best way to have one installed at your own home.