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Lifer
Dow Chemical Co (DOW.N) said on Monday it would begin selling a new rooftop shingle next year that converts sunlight into electricity, expanding the chemical giant's business in alternative energy.
The new solar shingles can be integrated into rooftops with standard asphalt shingles, Dow said, and will be introduced in 2010 before a wider roll-out in 2011.
The shingle will use thin-film cells of copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS), a photovoltaic material that typically is more efficient at turning sunlight into electricity than traditional polysilicon cells.
The company did not disclose the efficiency of the cells, or the estimated costs of the new shingles.
Dow Solar Solutions said it expects "an enthusiastic response" from roofing contractors for the new shingles, since they require no specialized skills or knowledge of solar systems to install.
The new product is latest advance in "Building Integrated Photovoltaic" (BIPV) systems in which power-generating systems are built directly into the traditional materials used to construct buildings.
BIPV systems are currently limited mostly to roofing tiles, which operate at lower efficiencies than solar panels and have so far been too expensive to gain wide acceptance.
Dow received $20 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy to help develop its BIPV products.
The company also produces fluids used in concentrated solar systems, in which sunlight is used to generate heat that produces steam to power a turbine.
It also supplies materials used to help manufacture photovoltaic panels and increase their efficiency.
http://www.reuters.com/article...536825520091005?rpc=44
The new solar shingles can be integrated into rooftops with standard asphalt shingles, Dow said, and will be introduced in 2010 before a wider roll-out in 2011.
The shingle will use thin-film cells of copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS), a photovoltaic material that typically is more efficient at turning sunlight into electricity than traditional polysilicon cells.
The company did not disclose the efficiency of the cells, or the estimated costs of the new shingles.
Dow Solar Solutions said it expects "an enthusiastic response" from roofing contractors for the new shingles, since they require no specialized skills or knowledge of solar systems to install.
The new product is latest advance in "Building Integrated Photovoltaic" (BIPV) systems in which power-generating systems are built directly into the traditional materials used to construct buildings.
BIPV systems are currently limited mostly to roofing tiles, which operate at lower efficiencies than solar panels and have so far been too expensive to gain wide acceptance.
Dow received $20 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy to help develop its BIPV products.
The company also produces fluids used in concentrated solar systems, in which sunlight is used to generate heat that produces steam to power a turbine.
It also supplies materials used to help manufacture photovoltaic panels and increase their efficiency.
http://www.reuters.com/article...536825520091005?rpc=44
