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PV Panels as the roofing material

Stephen Palos

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Dec 5, 2020
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Is there a mounting system that allows the PV panels to seal up against one another so that they form the actual roofing material of the structure they are on? I am talking of a fixed structure such as house or barn, not an RV
 
Expansion/contraction would be a problem. You could bolt all the panels together with silicone in between and mount to a frame but as they heat and cool I expect things would get ugly/broken pretty quickly.
 
Tesla Solar Shingles.
Exasun (Netherlands) solar Roof (not conventional panels)
There are 3 or 4 companies now producing limited amounts of Solar Shingle systems at present and ramping up production,
The frameless triple glass shingles do not expand/contract and no framing to be in the way as they mount differently than regular panels.,

This company does more than just roof panels. ;-) These have also passed some of the most rigorous testing possible for loading and impact resistance and more, of course the price reflects it. Availability is also tough as they cannot keep up with demand, I believe they are focusing on EU only at this time though.
High-quality & aesthetic solar panels (exasun.com)
 
Sure! There are a few companies that make "solar shingles": Tesla, DOW, Saint-Gobain, SunTegra, Luma to name a few. They're more expensive so don't sell as well.

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Sure! There are a few companies that make "solar shingles": Tesla, DOW, Saint-Gobain, SunTegra, Luma to name a few. They're more expensive so don't sell as well.

Actually DOW sold off that part off their business in 2016.
Dow Chemical Sheds Its Solar Shingle Business | Greentech Media
The oddest thing, is they brought it back after realizing they did stupid on "scale".
This sector is just about to BUST OPEN due to the EU regs and elsewhere the push is on, the incentive (not just Gov money) is to bring that level of product to market now. When building codes allow for it and in some places they are now getting to a point where solar on new builds is going to be part of building a home.

Handy articles:
Solar Shingles: Make Your Roof Solar-Powered (5 Brands) (solarmagazine.com)
Solar Shingles - Why The Future is Bright | CertainTeed
 
GE bought bankrupt Astropower's single-crystal wafer framed panel product line, and repackaged as roofing tiles.
Overlapping panels takes care of the expansion issue.
That was long, long ago and far, far away.

You could get PV laminates, or remove frames from framed panels and fabricate a different frame better suited to use as a tile.
Best if heat can get out the backside, not flat on tar paper. Either air leaks through like shake roof, or caulk/gasket each on place to stop air and insect infiltration. Maybe lay bug netting over rafters, rather than tar paper?

You now live in a glass house, so don't throw stones.

(... and people who live in grass houses shouldn't stow thrones)
 
Hmmm Grass House... maybe wanna avoid smokin in that too, unless it's "that" kinda grass.... ;-)

Glass expanding & contracting.... Hmmmm, Cite one credible, verifiable reference please.
 
Glass expansion - all depends on what sort of seal you need, compliance of materials, temperature extremes and differences.


To seal pins in a vacuum tube, a glass frit seal is used, and the metal is Inconel. Seal rings on packages are Kovar.
I broke a car windshield by just aiming water stream from a garden hose on it.
Windows of buildings are installed in aluminum frames with silicone.
PV panels have silicone holding glass to aluminum frame, which can then wobble on its base. I always keep a slight spacing between frames.

If trying to use tempered glass PV laminates as roofing material, you need to place multiple panels in a way that sheds water and allow their expansion/contraction relative to structure underneath. Don't tile them side by side without any gap between the glass of each.


"An increase of temperature by100°C causes an expansion of approx. 1,0 mm/m"
That is 10 ppm/degree.


Aluminum is about 20 ppm/degree.

If glass was mounted edge touching edge in hot weather then taken cold, the panels would get shoved together a fraction of a millimeter, could buckle or break. Putting them down 1mm apart on top of 1mm silicone might be good. (of course the bottom of the laminate is Tedlar or similar.) Overlapping about 1 cm would be better for shedding water even if a split developed in the seal, so you don't rely on silicone to keep the house dry.
 
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