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Solar Energy SRSEnergy

Published on June 29th, 2010 | by Susan Kraemer

9

Does YOUR Spouse Hate How Solar Looks?

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June 29th, 2010 by  

If you are a Californian who’s been wanting to put on solar, but your spouse has objections on aesthetic grounds, you now have an alternative. There are now more CSI-approved choices for building-integrated solar (BIPV) modules in the updated list this month at GosolarCalifornia. Expected performance of all the new BIPV is listed at the CSI-EPBB site.

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California has just approved the SRS-Energy curved thinfilm tile. These can be added to your terracotta-colored clay tile roof like this…

… or you could go whole-hog blue, and re-roof entirely in the matching blue ceramic tile made by USTile, for those parts of the roof, like the North gables, that won’t be used to make power.

In California, rebate-eligible solar BIPV includes Xunlight‘s thinfilm flat modules.  I don’t see an image of their actual BIPV that CSI approves, but if they can make this brown-colored thinfilm then they could make a BIPV that would blend with even the most banal of your neighbors’ powerless roofs.

The Jimmy Carter-generated (most ancient, oldie but goodie) solar company Sharp makes these little regular silicon PV modules that look at least as good as the dumb part of your roof, that only keeps out the rain.

Atlantis Energy’s Sunslates lovely flat slate PV tiles – they are bonded to standard fiber-cement roofing tiles – can be installed in a charming zigzag pattern, as here, making for a solar installation which almost looks as if it was set in the days of a Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale.

Suntech is also listed for its BIPV module. In an install I’ve seen these practically disappear while imparting a subtle classy gleam to a gray slate roof.

Sunpower’s CSI approved BIPV panels can be set below the roof tile like this for an interesting look or,

as here in a beautiful design installed by CobaltPower, sit on top.  These are not building integrated in the strict sense of the words, yet look as comfortable and integrate as well, they might as well be. Sunpower panels always look gorgeous either way.

There’s no excuses now!

Susan Kraemer @Twitter

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About the Author

writes at CleanTechnica, CSP-Today, PV-Insider , SmartGridUpdate, and GreenProphet. She has also been published at Ecoseed, NRDC OnEarth, MatterNetwork, Celsius, EnergyNow, and Scientific American. As a former serial entrepreneur in product design, Susan brings an innovator's perspective on inventing a carbon-constrained civilization: If necessity is the mother of invention, solving climate change is the mother of all necessities! As a lover of history and sci-fi, she enjoys chronicling the strange future we are creating in these interesting times.    Follow Susan on Twitter @dotcommodity.


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  • http://juliekinnear.com Julie K.

    Finally an aesthetic idea of ideal solar panels! This is definitely an improvement that prevail all competitors on the markets, especially when all technical parameters will stay the same. Well, actually, everybody should realise that to have a clean energy is far more better then the same color of all roofs in the community…

    • http://cleantechnica.com/author/susan Susan Kraemer

      Julie, actually, technical parameters change. Some BIPV is more expensive per watt, and most BIPV is less efficient (which just means it takes more space to make the same kilowatt-hours of power). So there is a trade-off. But, if you have enough space for the extra panels needed, it’s OK.

  • naame

    My problem is two fold. The first is that there is no company like SRS-Energy in my state yet, but I figure that is a matter of time.

    The real issue is my HOA and any HOA like mine. They require that our clay roof tiles be the exact same color as everyone else in the community. That means these blue tiles are not permitted even if I want to install them.

    HOA’s have far too much power these days which extends beyond their original purpose. They have been flying under the radar for a while in many states and are in dire need of government oversight and restrictions.

    • http://cleantechnica.com/author/susan Susan Kraemer

      @naame Not California, huh. Here, your neighbors are limited in their ability to dictate that you remain dependent on filthy fossil fuels.

  • http://www.roofexp.com roof express

    These are a huge improvement over the huge solar collectors in the past. The other benefit is that they won’t handicap the performance of the roof.

    • http://cleantechnica.com/author/susan Susan Kraemer

      @roof express
      BIPV is not as efficient – and more expensive, but certainly better than nothing, which is the alternative in these “mixed marriages.”

  • J

    esthetic intergration is going to be key to winning over a larger number of potential home owners.

  • John B

    Is your spouse a shallow twit who puts appearances over meaningful substance?

  • http://www.attayaya.net attayaya

    I do like solar panel

    Greening and save our earth

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