Solar roof tiles from China?

Does anyone have any experience to share about solar roof tiles?

I've seen them in Alibaba with pretty much every solar reseller however I don't see them being resold in US/EU/AU

Beside Tesla and maybe few other companies, did the Chinese figure out how to manufacturer these properly yet?

Following

Solar Shingle and Roof Companies​

A limited number of solar manufacturers produce solar shingles. Here’s an overview of some companies that provide solar roofing solutions.

• CertainTeed Solar: This company manufactures monocrystalline solar shingles and tiles. The Apollo Tile II system integrates with flat concrete tile roofs, and the Apollo II system installs on asphalt tile configurations.
• Luma Solar: Luma’s monocrystalline shingles have a Miami-Dade hurricane rating of Class 5+, which means they’re durable enough to withstand even the most dangerous hurricane-force winds. They work with metal shingles and have upgradable technology.
• SunTegra Solar: SunTegra shingles and tiles can be customized for composite and tile roofs. Sheets of tiles are attached on composite layouts, while individual tiles are assembled on tiled roofs.
• Tesla Solar Roof: Tesla is one of the few solar installers that provides full-roof installations. The Tesla Solar Roof combines glass and steel to enhance the roof’s strength. This installation replaces conventional roofing to combine clean energy generation with protection from the elements.
• Timberline Solar Roofing by GAF Energy: Timberland solar roofing uses rack-mounting, so it doesn’t need to drill into your shingles for proper attachment. These shingles come in four colors to match your roof’s design and withstand winds up to 130 mph.

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This article may also be of some use in your research.

Do you have a link to the listing so we can see the specs?

Added: Appears this is the company selling them on alibaba:

Although they might look better than conventional PV I have always questioned the dozens to hundreds of low voltage connections involved in a reasonable sized array. Too many possible failure points and finding these possible failure points sounds like it could be a real nightmare when it happens.

I looked into this a little. A few months ago I bought a single solar shingle, they sell samples for just the cost of shipping.


At the time I think the board itself was free but shipping was $60. I never received it. It was lost in shipping but they were very aggressive in getting me my money back so there's that. It occurred to me later that I got the wrong kind of shingle. I have an asphalt shingle roof. I ordered a solar shingle meant for a slate roof.

After I got the refund the seller contacted me and said they've upgraded their offerings.


They now have one that's made for asphalt shingles but it looks hideous in my opinion.

Furthermore I just can't make the numbers work. It looks like $.9 per watt. That's not even factoring in the cost of shipping from China or the tax situation. It's pretty easy to get quality panels for $.33 per watt. The money I save by not buying shingles doesn't come anywhere near to making up the difference. So going this route actually costs a lot more money.

On top of that I really have to wonder how well these are going to work in ten years. There's no ventilation behind these things.

If you're bending into a higher end type of roof these might make sense. I haven't run those numbers since I don't have a high end roof. But if you look at the way these are installed then the slate style bipv shingles look like they have airflow behind them at least.

Steve_S said:

This article may also be of some use in your research.

Best Solar Shingles for April 2024

Don't like the look of solar panels? Solar shingles produce electricity but blend in a little bit better on your roof. Here are our favorites.

www.cnet.com

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Thank you for this, it has good information explaining the technologies available. however these companies mainly operate in north America.

Solarcabin Channel said:

Do you have a link to the listing so we can see the specs?

Added: Appears this is the company selling them on alibaba:

[Hot Item] Solar Module System House Facade and Roof Solar Tiles 30kw 50kw System BIPV Shingle Roof Tiles Photovoltaic Solar Roof Tiles

After-sales Service: Warranty 50 Warranty: Warranty 30 Certification: ISO Application: Home Material: Metal Type: Plain Roof Tiles

sangobuild.en.made-in-china.com

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This is from a company called bluesun, I doubt they are manufacturing, this kind of companies just sell you complete kits but still here is an example of their solar tiles

Osmethne said:

I looked into this a little. A few months ago I bought a single solar shingle, they sell samples for just the cost of shipping.

Free Sample Solar Roof Shingles Tiles Stone Coated Metal Roof Building Materials Solar Energy Roofing Tile - Buy Bipv Bipv Solar Panel Solar Shingle Solar Roof Shingles Wholesale Solar Roofing Shingles Shingled Solar Panel Roof Solar Panel bipv Bipv

Free Sample Solar Roof Shingles Tiles Stone Coated Metal Roof Building Materials Solar Energy Roofing Tile - Buy Bipv Bipv Solar Panel Solar Shingle Solar Roof Shingles Wholesale Solar Roofing Shingles Shingled Solar Panel Roof Solar Panel bipv Bipv Solar Panel Solar Shingle Solar Roof Shingles...

www.alibaba.com

At the time I think the board itself was free but shipping was $60. I never received it. It was lost in shipping but they were very aggressive in getting me my money back so there's that. It occurred to me later that I got the wrong kind of shingle. I have an asphalt shingle roof. I ordered a solar shingle meant for a slate roof.

After I got the refund the seller contacted me and said they've upgraded their offerings.

https://www.quacentbipv.com/en

They now have one that's made for asphalt shingles but it looks hideous in my opinion.

Furthermore I just can't make the numbers work. It looks like $.9 per watt. That's not even factoring in the cost of shipping from China or the tax situation. It's pretty easy to get quality panels for $.33 per watt. The money I save by not buying shingles doesn't come anywhere near to making up the difference. So going this route actually costs a lot more money.

On top of that I really have to wonder how well these are going to work in ten years. There's no ventilation behind these things.

If you're bending into a higher end type of roof these might make sense. I haven't run those numbers since I don't have a high end roof. But if you look at the way these are installed then the slate style bipv shingles look like they have airflow behind them at least.

Click to expand...

No doubt it's more expensive but if you are considering a new roof or have to replace your roof it does make financial sense.
It would be interesting to hear from someone who actually went ahead with this.

Tesla makes the only halfway decent looking ones. Still, too many connections in the event of failure.

I would test with just enough of them to cover a single window, in an "awning" design, where window is south facing. In such a test, you are determining:
- diy nature of the product, and/or code/inspection/construction costs in your area
- how do the things go together, and then tie into existing or new solar gear
- how well does it replace/augment roof framing & other processes

If you don't want to test on an awning, just see if you can order enough to set up on a 2'x8' plywood base, angled to the sun in your area; assumes vendor plays ball with you on such small test coverage. You'll still be figuring out all of the above, but both projects are at a very small scale, and very DIY.

Tesla's roof seems to be all or nothing wrt Tesla solar products ... roofing materials require the purchase of a Powerwall. Costs seem to be $40k/1000 sq ft of roof (before Powerwall costs). (professional) installation is probably required, but I stopped looking after seeing these Tesla pre-conditions ...

These costs are enough to drive some purchasers towards China ... but, then there's the issue of ordering from China (Alibaba, etc.) ... I'd tend to wait until some vendor opens enough of a US presence that you feel a bit better about going straight to a China-based source of product. Others have ordered from China and survived, but it seems that horror stories abound. Not unlike SS as a vendor, per forum stories. In other words, do lots of homework, and really decide from whom you'll buy something, to have the best chance of not acting in the next horror story.

I've had good luck with AmpereTime (now LiTime) batteries, but I verified they had a US presence ... support seemed reasonable, and a test purchase verified both the product and the company's return policies.

From what little research I've done, I think I'd stay away from these new panel formats, until I did some small-scale testing ... roof your window, your shed, something.

Hope this helps ...

littleharbor2 said:

Although they might look better than conventional PV I have always questioned the dozens to hundreds of low voltage connections involved in a reasonable sized array. Too many possible failure points and finding these possible failure points sounds like it could be a real nightmare when it happens.

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Don't follow your logic - a typical 'ordinary' domestic array will consist of at least a dozen if not twice that - modules each with at least 2 connections. In fact, given that much smaller 'in-roof' modules are more likely to be broken up into several paralleled series strings, you could argue that overall the system is more resilient as the loss of one string won't bring the whole system down. Whereas, one module loss in a larger format single-series string could mean zero output - depending on the system design...

One of the snippets above has some incorrect information.

GAF Timberline Solar Shingles are not rack mounted, they're direct to deck. My company installs them on a regular basis, along with many of the other Solar Roofing systems mentioned above. They're very attractive systems aesthetically. We've even been able to install them in HOA's that wouldn't allow traditional rack systems.

I wouldn't recommend any of these systems for a DIY project unless you have extensive roofing experience. Certainly not a plug, but if you're interested in one of these systems in PA or NJ send me a DM.

KSowell said:

One of the snippets above has some incorrect information.

GAF Timberline Solar Shingles are not rack mounted, they're direct to deck. My company installs them on a regular basis, along with many of the other Solar Roofing systems mentioned above. They're very attractive systems aesthetically. We've even been able to install them in HOA's that wouldn't allow traditional rack systems.

I wouldn't recommend any of these systems for a DIY project unless you have extensive roofing experience. Certainly not a plug, but if you're interested in one of these systems in PA or NJ send me a DM.

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What's the average installed cost per square? I'm in Ohio BTW. I understand there are other wiring issues that need to be addressed.

Partimewages said:

What's the average installed cost per square? I'm in Ohio BTW. I understand there are other wiring issues that need to be addressed.

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Unfortunately, that's not an answer I'm equipped to give simply because I don't know (not a function of what I do). Also, there's a ton of factors considering roof size/ complexity and your solar system size/layout. They're expensive, so whatever you think it costs, double that number

These are sold as 100% professionally installed systems, not individual components, so literally everything is included.

Does GAF still use those hideous rails to run the cables on the roof? I've heard they've moved past that but the photos on their website still show them.