Thursday, February 11, 2010

Solar Shingles Heat Up

Check out a recent story I wrote for Technology Review on a new plug 'n' play solar shingle from Dow Chemical.  Dow plans to release a small test batch of the solar embedded shingles later this year and while they haven't yet announced who will get them, I think they'd compliment my solar hot water system quite nicely.

My guess is this and other attempts to merge solar panels with conventional building materials will initially cost a premium and the technology will likely encounter some hiccups along the way.  But, eventually, I think solar embedded shingles will become a standard part of new roofs. Like one industry analyst told me, "two hundred years ago they didn't build buildings with electrical systems in the walls and wiring buildings was a really expensive retrofit.  Today, its standard practice."

Image Credit: The Dow Chemical Company

2 comments:

  1. Sun is the nearest star to our planet and the energy provided by the sun can be used in many different ways. One most important use of sun energy is the production of electricity. These days many countries are switching towards the solar heating systems. These systems are considered cost effective and Eco-friend ally. At time when the whole word is looking for a solution to the major problem of global warming we all need to commit ourselves for the little change in our lifestyle.

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  2. Solar shingles are a new form of roofing improvements that appears similar to most roofs that they are installed on. They are a great form of energy saving that can be used in different ways.

    Iko shingles

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