UNI-SOLAR Debuts First UL-Approved, Standard-Production Residential Solar Module Roof Shingle
United Solar announced the UNI-SOLAR® brand PowerShingle™ – which the company describes as a breakthrough, industry-leading, aesthetically-pleasing solar product that removes the barriers which have kept many homeowners from installing solar on their roofs.
PowerShingle is said to be the first ever, UL-approved, standard production residential solar module roof shingle available for the U.S. photovoltaic marketplace. The product replaces the need for heavy, bulky and unattractive frames on homeowners’ roofs.
"A consistent message from homeowners is that until residential solar options became aesthetically pleasing and fit into their homes’ current roofline, they simply weren’t ready to take the solar plunge – or at best will limit solar to the backside of their home," said Mark Morelli, President and CEO of UNI-SOLAR’s parent company, Energy Conversion Devices. "Now with PowerShingle’s seamless fit, low profile and added durability, we’ve solved homeowners’ main visual objections and they can say, ’finally, solar for the front of the home’."
PowerShingle’s design fits the low-profile, visually-aesthetic needs of homeowners, drastically improving the marketplace outlook for a wider scale acceptance of solar on residential roofs.
UNI-SOLAR’s extremely lightweight and very flexible laminates allowed UNI-SOLAR engineers the ability to integrate solar into laminates that are designed to look like asphalt shingles. The PowerShingle product features laminates that are glass-free and encapsulated in UV-stabilized, weather-resistant polymers that hold up against Category 3 hurricane winds, hail and other heavy impacts – while continuing to provide excellent performance and protection for the inside of the home.
PowerShingle will be included as a part of a residential solar lease pilot program in New Jersey offered by New Jersey Resources Home Services, a leading home appliance, service and installation company. Through this program, New Jersey Resources Home Services is helping to make renewable energy affordable and accessible to customers by offering installation of solar panels with no upfront, installation or maintenance costs.
"We’re excited about expanding our solar offerings in the residential market," said Morelli. "We believe PowerShingle’s sweet spot will be the new roof and re-roofing market, which is estimated at more than four million homes per year in the U.S., a large potential market for a residential product."
