Building integrated photovoltaic (BIPVs) have been a hot topic for a while. From transparent solar windows to solar paint, they tend to generate a lot of hype. For today though, let’s move away from dreams being forged in research labs to something you can actually buy right now: solar shingles.

For the uninitiated, solar shingles (also called solar roof tiles) are what they sound like. Instead of adding solar modules to a roof, the roofing materials themselves are the solar panels. The logic behind getting solar shingles is pretty much the same for anyone getting solar on their roofs - we want to save money on electricity bills, have a source of energy to withstand blackouts and help the planet while we’re at it. Just like traditional solar panels, solar shingles convert sunlight into electricity, and just like conventional roof tiles, they will keep your house dry. Here is the example video of solar roof tile durability test. (https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v%3DI1035WJzPTM%26t%3D3s&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1655110376666598&usg=AOvVaw1MIEGrA0U-bOTBbOzTGdR4)

That is where similarities end though. Solar roof tiles are smaller in size than solar modules, being more similar to conventional roof tile sizes (though exceptions do exist). Their chemical composition can also differ – conventional solar modules utilize crystalline silicon, while solar shingle manufacturers favor similar PV chemistries to thin-film solar panels, such as copper indium gallium selenide. This, combined with the fact that solar shingles do not enjoy free moving air behind their surfaces in the way roof-mounted panels do, lowers their efficiency compared to conventional solar panels.

However, you must not forget that solar shingles cater to a slightly different subset of customers. Whatever they may lack in efficiency, they make up for in aesthetics. Just look at these photos to decide for yourself which ones look better:

And if you are still worried about efficiency, there are some premium products – such as the SunStyle solar shingles – which use Passivated Emitter and Rear Contact monocrystalline silicon, the very stuff which make up the most efficient solar modules in the market today. 

The financial holy grail for solar shingles is reaching price-parity with standard roofing materials plus roof-mounted solar modules. At this point, it would become a no-brainer for anyone needing a new roof to just go for solar shingles, or so the thinking goes. In reality, no two roofs are exactly the same, and the price of a solar shingle roof depends heavily on the roof complexity. Which means that claims of price-parity are a) difficult to verify and b) might not be true for you specifically.

All in all, solar shingles are very pretty products impressively engineered to keep you dry, withstand hail and produce electricity all at once. However, any Homo economicus still wanting to calculate ROI on solar roofing tiles should remember that no two houses will produce the same amount of electricity. Hey, that’s why we get paid to do the complicated math for you while you sleep.  At the end of the day, money does talk, but wealth whispers. Keep that in mind the next time you walk past some prime real estate – you might not even notice they have solar shingles.