Solar company Sunflare will reveal the prototype for its solar thin-film residential roof shingle at the 2018 Solar Power International show later this month.
The new shingles, made of CIGS solar cells covered in light weight polymer sheets, will feature snap-together electrical connectors and 100 percent waterproofing. They will be able to be installed using standard roofing methods, the company says.
The lightweight shingles also boast a low-profile, addressing the common complaints that some homeowners and neighborhood associations have about bulkier standard solar panels.
“We are design-driven,” the company said in a statement. “The Sunflare residential solar roof will be beautiful. We want families to feel proud when they look at their roof, and the neighbors to feel that the neighborhood has been improved.”
The shingles have a temperature coefficient of -.31% per 1 degree Celsius compared to the -.45 per 1 degree Celsius for silicon, the company says. This means the cells lose less energy output in high heats than a standard silicon products.
The company’s solar shingle launch comes as other energy powerhouses such as Tesla and RGS Energy have already entered the product category with sleek solar roofing options. Long term, Sunflare sees the shingles, with their simple installation and high efficiency, as a way to make solar more affordable and attractive to homeowners. Part of the company’s core mission is to reduce the CO2 output of future generations.
“By following our ideals, we believe that this product can be revolutionary and will shape energy production for decades to come,” said Sunflare CEO Philip Gao.
