The first people to hear of solar shingles were the people who saw the Tesla Solar Roof. The idea of a roofing product that can generate energy and blend in with regular asphalt shingles has been around for decades.
Many of the products that were once on the market are no longer on the market. Solar shingles are not as efficient as regular solar panels. They were prevented from breaking into the mainstream.
One of the largest roofing companies in the world and a division of Standard Industries is launching a new solar shingle effort. The company says that its new product, called Timberline Solar, will be cheaper and more reliable than the Solar Roof of the company. The Best of Innovation Award for Smart Cities was presented at the Consumer Electronics Show.
We are part of the world's largest roofing manufacturer. Martin DeBono, President of GAF Energy, said that they have access to materials that other solar companies don't. No one has tried to make a solar product that a roofer can install. Our product goes on with just a nail gun after we did it. It goes on twice as fast as a typical solar.
GAF Energy says that the installation of Timberline Solar can be done like a regular shingle. The shingles are larger than the ones in the electric car, meaning there are fewer parts to manufacture and fewer individual wiring connections, which the company expects will decrease costs while increasing reliability.
The larger and bulkier design of the shingle doesn't blend in with the normal roofing material, which is nearly indistinguishable from normal roofing material.
The Senior Vice President of Solar R&D at GAF Energy holds a solar shingle.
GAF Energy says it can save money on sales and marketing by attracting solar customers from a large pool of people already coming to it for a new roof.
When you are about to replace your roof, the natural moment to put solar on a roof is. David Winter, Co-CEO of Standard Industries, said that it makes no sense to put a brand new solar system on an old roof.
According to Winter, one out of every three asphalt shingle roofs in the US is a GAF roof. The people are sitting at a kitchen table with the homeowner, where we can introduce the idea of solar, because they need to replace their roof.
Customer acquisition costs make up 23% of the total cost of a residential solar system, so saving here could be key.
GAF Energy says that it assembles and partially manufactures its shingles at its facility in San Jose, California. The company imports its cells from Thailand, but believes that having some domestic manufacturing is beneficial.
DeBono says that they can take improvements from the lab and get them to instantiate in the product. Teams would have to fly overseas to execute changes. Changes to your product take quarters and years, whereas here it takes hours and days.
If GAF Energy has really cracked the code to an affordable and reliable solar shingle product, then performance over the product's 25-year warranty will show it.
According to DeBono, Timberline Solar could cost twice as much as replacing a roof with normal asphalt shingles.
In many parts of the country, it costs fifteen thousand dollars to have a roof. Adding a solar system would bring the total to fifteen thousand.
A home in New Jersey has Timberline Solar shingles installed.
A $30,000 solar roof would be a lot cheaper than a new roof and regular solar panels.
The cost for a 1,700 square foot Solar Roof in the Bay Area is projected by the company to be about 40,700 dollars before solar subsidies. The product ofTesla has been known to cost more than initial estimates. The company was hit with a class-action lawsuit last year after it dramatically hiked Solar Roof prices for customers who had already signed contracts. Some customers were told that the price increases would be reversed.
The efficiency of GAF's shingles in a real-world environment is an open ended question, since previous solar shingle products haven't been comparable to regular panels.
Barry Cinnamon, founder of Silicon Valley-based solar installer Cinnamon Energy Systems, said that they operate at a lower efficiency. They are flush with the roof because it is hot. Hot solar cells don't work as well as cooler solar cells.
The mono-PERC cells used by GAF Energy perform better at high temperatures than traditional monocrystalline cells. In ideal conditions, the 45 watt Timberline Solar shingle would still generate less energy per square foot than the average-sized 300 watt solar panel.
At the time of the CNBC interview, the shingle had not been released. He was not sure if solar shingles would appeal to the mass.
I don't think anything will change with any of the factors that will make it a widespread product. I think it will always be a niche product.
When it comes to cost, efficiency and reliability, the Senior Vice President of Solar R&D 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266 800-381-0266
It is my hope that in five, ten years when you are thinking about changing your roof, you will pick the solar roof because it makes economic sense, because it is attractive and because you will have the same warranty as the rest of the roof.
CNBC was able to see the manufacturing facility of GAF Energy in San Jose, California, where it is assembling Timberline Solar shingles.
Lora Kolodny contributed to the report.
