They started my new roof today...

[ponytug]

Part of the debate was that people pretty well know how tar paper will hold up under a metal roof, but there was some concern expressed that synthetic might not hold up to heat as well over the life span of the metal roof. The underlayment is going to get baked by heat transfer from a metal roof. There are also at least two different weights of tar paper as well.

I'm not familar with glass solar tiles.

Solar Shingles: Turn Your Roof a Power Source (5 Brands)

Solar shingles are a great modern option to make your roof solar-powered! It is more aesthetically appealing and sleeker compared to others.

solarmagazine.com

They come in a variety of shapes, sizes and looks.

Some more integrated than others; note the interesting shingle and flashing gap on the top right below.

I think it has some advantages (more of the roof can be covered with solar cells, and glass is much stronger), and some disadvantages (most are being installed by solar companies, rather than roofing companies, and getting under the tiles to check wiring is a high labor task for most systems, though drones with FLIR help identify problem tiles/strings, and glass breaks rather than denting under say hail)

All the best,

Peter

 

[BigBoyToys]

There are some older like 1900s homes here that have similar interlocking metal roofs like yours, except yours is much nicer. I suppose it's all the labor of fitting the pieces together that makes them relatively uncommon to see. But yours is very nice.

Yes...they are expensive to have installed. I believe mine ran me around $11K in materials, and many hours. Fortunately because I was able to go over the existing roof, I wasn't pressed for time. Would have been a different story if I had to strip it.

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

Between the new roof and recent driveway repaving it's more than I paid for the place to begin with!
They are doing a nice job so far.

 

[newbury]

Have any of you been following the "new" solar shingles (based on the perovskite solar cell)?

Supposed to be a lot more efficient.

The Google search linked indicates some researchers have them up to a 30yr life.

 

[ponytug]

Have any of you been following the "new" solar shingles (based on the perovskite solar cell)?

Supposed to be a lot more efficient.

The Google search linked indicates some researchers have them up to a 30yr life.

Sorry, this hits a personal touchy subject for me of exaggerated claims by researchers and their PR teams.

Yes, Google will tell you lots of things, many of them true, but not all by long stick. Can we remind ourselves that some people have pretty odd ideas about whether the earth revolves around the sun, and the shape of the earth?

Let's just clarify that some researchers think on the basis of some extremely limited testing that their improvements to perovskite based cells may have increased longevity. All real world experience to date with perovskites suggests otherwise.

I had looked into the recent report, and it was a tiny number sample of lab made cells tested for a very short testing time. Frankly, I thought that their results did not come close to their claims. Their testing showed a not insignificant decay over a time scale of weeks. Given the chemistry, I personally think that perovskite cells have a long, long way to go before I would want to use them, and there is no guarantee that the fiddles to be applied in the future to achieve longevity won't cut into efficiency. Researchers often talk about a range of possible futures, and reporters tend to focus on an extreme case for click bait. I get it, it sells. However, it is neither good science nor good journalism.

The underlying interest in alternatives to silicon based solar cells arises from a desire to improve conversion efficiency, but given where the status quo is for the efficiency of silicon based solar cells, the cost of the other parts of a solar installation (panel production, permitting, labor to install, and ancillary hardware like the DC to AC inverters) already makes up so much of the cost, that for most applications, incremental solar cell efficiency improvements make next to no difference in the final cost of the power produced.

My $0.02 is keep your eye focused on MTBF, and $/kW installed. And by all means install solar if you haven't already.

All the best,

Peter