Solar electricity and the technology providing it has gone further than you may have realized up till now. For example, solar roof tiles are now widely used for constructing houses.
Once integrated into the construction parts of a house, solar roof shingles help you acquire solar energy. In addition, it maintains the aesthetic look of your home.
Governments approve of these beautifully designed solar roof parts. So if you are thinking about installing solar roof tiles on your home’s roof, you can now do that.
Solar roof tiles are made to last; they are durable, pleasing to the eyes, and produce electricity to back you up during load shedding.
Here, I have listed brief info about solar roof tiles or scholar roof shingles so that you can have a clear understanding before installing them on your roof?
What Are Solar Roof Tiles?
Unlike the photovoltaic solar panels, which you have to install upon your roof, the solar roofs are photovoltaic solar construction parts. The PV solar roof panels are tiles that shake off the need to attach solar panels to the tops. Instead, these tiles create an electric field, providing electricity to your home.
When installing a solar panel, you install them on your existing roof. However, the solar roof tiles are solar construction parts that you use when contacting the top of your home. So, instead of attaching PV solar panels that look odd on your roof, you can now create roofs using roof tiles made of solar panels.
As of now, the solar roof tiles are costly. There are also not many manufacturers who are making them. The Tesla solar roofs by the Tesla company are also not so pocket-friendly.
How Do Solar Roof Tiles Work?
The solar roof tiles and the solar panels might be a little different. They differ in terms of their build and installation processes. But how they operate is identical. Like the solar panels, the solar roof tiles are made of photovoltaic cells that create an electric field when the sunlight falls upon them.
As I have mentioned before, the only significant difference is their building installation process. While the solar panels are bolted upon your existing roofs, the solar roof tiles are used to make a solar roof.
It would help if you had an inverter to convert the produced DC electricity into AC and use it. However, if you don’t have a home battery storage or a solar diverter, the excess solar energy will get sent to the grid. You will receive payment for that electricity via Feed-in-Tariff for the electricity sent to the grid.
When you have a solar roof made of solar roof tiles, you need to take care of it the same way as the solar panels. It would be best if you kept it clean for maximum efficiency. The amount of electricity your roof produces depends on its exposure to sunlight.
The rooftop PV solar tiles used were different during the initial phase. They used to overlap one after another. But Tesla changed the formation of a solar roof. Now the panels are placed side by side instead of putting one above another.
Solar Roof Tiles: Pros and Cons
There are significant advantages to having a solar roof. Unfortunately, there are also some disadvantages. So, if you want to use solar panel shingles on your roof, you need to understand the pros and cons of installing them.
Pros
- Solar roof tiles generate renewable energy.
- They blend in with the solar panels easily.
- They look beautiful compared to solar panels, and they are durable as solar construction materials.
- You can install them in conservation areas and listed buildings.
Cons
- Compared to solar panels, they are expensive.
- The number of current manufacturers is limited.
- They are not mobile; you will damage the roof if you want to remove or relocate them.
- Since they are integrated into the roofs, you cannot angle them for optimum efficiency.
Solar Roof Tiles Price
The solar roof tiles are expensive. The cheapest solar roof tiles cost around $15000 to $20000. If you buy the Tesla solar roof tiles, you have to pay more than $70000.For per square feet of solar panel installation, you have to pay 421 to $25. The installation period is also a lengthy one.
The solar roof shingles do indeed look good. However, since not many manufacturers make solar roof shingles, the price has not gone down. However, the price will decrease once the price becomes more competitive and solar shingles become mainstream.
Frequently Asked Question
Here are the frequently asked questions about solar roof tiles. If you have any further queries, these questions and answers will help you.
Ans: Yes, they are worth it. Judging the aesthetic solar energy production, using solar roof tiles for roof construction seems worth it. If you have a sizable budget and you want to use solar power at your home without making the roof look odd, you can use these tiles to make your roof.
Ans: The solar roof tiles cost you $21 to $25 per sq ft. The most affordable solar roof tiles will cost you around $15000 to $20000. If you want to buy the Tesla solar tiles, the price will be even higher, around $70000.
Ans: Since there are not many manufacturers, solar panels are expensive. But the price may soon go down once these tiles become more mainstream.
Ans: The solar roof shingles use the same PV panels as in the solar panels. So, they have the same efficiency as solar panels. But, solar panels can be angled accordingly for optimum efficiency, which you cannot do with the solar roof tiles. So, once they are used, removing them will be harder.
Conclusion
You can use solar roof tiles on your roof when the construction is on. However, you cannot use them on an existing roof. The solar roof tiles are materials for creating roofs; they don’t work like panels and are expensive. However, if you get direct sunlight on your roof most of the time in a year, you can use solar roof tiles.
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Shahnawaz Alam
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Shahnawaz is a passionate and professional Content writer. He loves to read, write, draw and share his knowledge in different niches like Technology, Cryptocurrency, Travel,Social Media, Social Media Marketing, and Healthcare.
Shahnawaz is a passionate and professional Content writer. He loves to read, write, draw and share his knowledge in different niches like Technology, Cryptocurrency, Travel,Social Media, Social Media Marketing, and Healthcare.
