Comments on: Installing Thin Film Solar On Metal Roof – Easier Than Falling Off A Log

By: Lukasz Sobczuk

Lukasz Sobczuk — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 20:52:11 +0000

Excellent read. Our company specializes in standing seam metal roof installations and we’ve seen increased demand for that kind of roofing system simply because it works so well with photovoltaic laminates and solar roofing in general. Excellent investment that more and more homeowners are interested in.

By: JIM FUTRELL

JIM FUTRELL — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:29:57 +0000

I HAVE CONSTRUCTED A METAL ROOF 13′X’20′. HALF THIS 5/12 PITCH FACES SOUTH.THE OTHER HALF FACES NORTH.
I WANT TO BUY THE PRODUCTS TO INSTALL 1- 110V CIRCUIT AND 1 220 VOLT CIRCUIT. I WANT TO USE THE 220 V TO POWER A 3/4 HP SWIMMING POOL PUMP. SINCE THE INVERTERS LOSE 15% TO INEFFICIENCY, COULD I USE DC ( WITHIN 10 FEET) AND REWIRE MY ELECTRIC MOTOR TO RUN ON DC? WHERE WOULD I FIND THE INFORMATION TO COMPLETE THIS PROJECT? PLEASE ADVISE.
JIM

By: J. DeGray

J. DeGray — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:57:31 +0000

So do I have to attach it to metal? could i maybe glue it between pieces of lexan? how much juice/sq. foot? if i have to attach it to a conductor could i use mylar with the vapor deposition metalic coating to conduct it?
I’m trying to reduce my footprint trying to get high efficientcy windows, plan on shooting the whole double wide trailer i live in with 4 inches of soythane…pricey but once i coat the roof i need to cover with insulating sno-roof membrane can I stick down the film with this membrane? or do I need a metal surface? please help, thanks…

By: gu

gu — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 13:31:52 +0000

is there a manufacture in china?

By: Green Solar Cafe

Green Solar Cafe — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 04:29:40 +0000

To Roger:

1: It would be cheaper to install regular PV panels over shingles, but when those shingles go bad, you will have to remove the entire solar array. Also your solar guy will not warranty against roof leaks.

If you go with metal roof, you will not have to worry about re-roofing and leaks and UniSolar Pv shoul last over 25-30 years with acceptable power output.

2: Definitely, Geothermal and Solar are a great combination, and if you have enough solar capacity (about 5-6 kW) you can actually get to Net-Zero usage of not only electricity but also in heating/cooling.

3: Heating with solar electricity is out of the question – it’s too inefficient and expensive.

Go with solar hot water – much cheaper and more efficient. You can have it mounted on the ground if you run out of roof space.

Once again, solar electricity is too expensive to use for any type heating.
Instead you can sell excess power for REC … but with geothermal, you should not need to sell – you’ll use all of your power.

If there is not enough room on your roof for all of 5-6 kW, you can once again use a ground-mounted array. Just make sure you don’t mix panels from different manufacturers in the same string. If you have two types of panels – unisolar on a roof and lets say evergreen solar on the ground, connect them in two strings to 2 different inverters. This way you will get maximum efficiency and output.

Good Luck.

By: standing seam solar

standing seam solar — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 07:39:29 +0000

[...] laminate simply adheres right onto the panels of a standing-seam metal roof. Requiringhttp://www.blog.thesietch.org/2007/03/09/installing-thin-film-solar-on-metal-roof-easier-than-fallin…Choosing, Cleansing, and Charging Crystals I have written a lot of articles about gemstones, rocks [...]

By: Roger A. Wehage

Roger A. Wehage — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 12:14:34 +0000

I have a four year old 30′ by 30′ (1170 sq ft) A-frame type house with a 45 degree pitch roof. One side of the shingled roof faces directly south. The house has hydronic radiant floor heating and is well insulated. It has an in-wall air conditioner on the upper loft level which provides adequate cooling. I would like to consider using solar PV to provide hydronic radiant floor and water heating and summer cooling.

I have three questions:

1. Would it be more cost effective to install a metal roof with thin film over the shingles or install traditional PV panels over the shingles?

2. The house is located about 200 feet from a 1/3 acre pond which is up to 16 feet deep. Would I get an energy gain by using a geothermal heat pump to extract/reject energy from/to the pond in conjunction with solar PV? Or would it be more efficient to use the solar PV energy directly for heating the water and running the A/C?

3. Would it be more efficient to install DC powered water heater and A/C units to bypass convertors? Is a dual DC/AC system feasible? The house is on the grid and excess energy could be exchanged if the right system were installed.

Thank you.

By: » Electricity from the Sun? Keltruth Corp.: News Blog of Keltruth Corp. - Miami, Florida, USA.

Mon, 05 May 2008 20:32:36 +0000

[...] However I find it very encouraging that people are aleady using it. The SciTech Blog has a post Installing Thin Film Solar On Metal Roof – Easier Than Falling Off A Log. Click on the below image to see an article and video on installing the peel and stick thin film [...]

By: Bradley Brigman

Bradley Brigman — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 14:11:42 +0000

Does anyone know how long the film sticks? I would like to use them on a new building.

By: Daniel V. Simon

Daniel V. Simon — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 01:44:35 +0000

I am new to this whole technology. But I was wondering how the laminate compares in efficiency to the regular solar grid panels offered by GE atc. Thank You ! , Daniel

By: Thomas Hamilton

Thomas Hamilton — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 01:53:44 +0000

Where can I purchase this product?????

By: Technut News » Our Technological Future - Mixed Bag #18

Technut News » Our Technological Future - Mixed Bag #18 — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 17:17:23 +0000

[...] Installing Thin Film Solar On Metal Roof – Easier Than Falling Off A Log [...]

By: Nathan Libbey

Nathan Libbey — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 17:40:45 +0000

Truly amazing! The ability to install an effective solar panel without taking up any extra space is very important.

Indra:
Lightning always strikes the highest point. Metal roofing doesn’t increase the chances. But if lightning were to strike, it would actually help due to fire resistance.

By: The Naib

The Naib — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 17:51:50 +0000

Indra: Because of the dark color, they tend to warm up a little in the winter and melt the snow off, so you don’t need to shovel them off. If you did want to clear them you would need to use something gentle (like a soft bristle broom) to wipe them down.

I was not aware of metal roofs having an increased risk of lightning strike, but if lightning strikes your roof you are going to have a lot more problems than your damaged pv cells. But yes, lightning would damage them (and anything else). I don’t think metal roofs raise the risk of lightning strike in any significant way but I am no metal roof expert.

By: Indra

Indra — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 17:18:51 +0000

How effective are these in winter? Does snow accumulate on the roof and cause an inefficient harvest of energy? If snow does accumulate, could the thin-films be damaged with tools shovelling snow and ice off the roof?

Also, how about increased risk of lightning being attracted to metal roofing? Could that potentially damage the cells?

By: Bob

Bob — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 19:44:51 +0000

http://www.uni-solar.com/interior.asp?id=106

This is Uni-solar’s US and international distributor list.

By: Todd M

Todd M — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 09:28:10 +0000

United Solar, aka Uni-Solar, is the current leader in the production of thin film PVs.

By: disappointed

disappointed — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 05:10:39 +0000

wow, really great, got me all interested but no info on where to buy

By: The Naib

The Naib — Mon, 28 May 2007 19:59:37 +0000

Norm: I am sure you could install these panels on other surfaces than flat metal roof. You should contact the manufacture of the panel you plan on purchasing and ask them about mounting options.

By: Norm

Norm — Sat, 26 May 2007 00:37:39 +0000

I meant I am like Bushra, not that I am Bushra.

:^)