Solar power for new build off-grid house

[kwhincop]

hi there,
I am very new to building and solar research, so was hoping you guys might be able to help me out; we are about to build a 2 bedroom house in a small, somewhat isolated town in QLD. The house will be off the grid and we want it to be as sustainable as possible.

I really like the idea of solar tiles i.e. where the solar panels/tiles are used instead of roof tiles (and not as an add-on to an existing roof); it just seems like a sensible way to go when you are building from scratch. Are these types of systems available/reliable in Aus? I have seen references to them on google, but wasn't sure how successful the technology is in real life i.e how much is "marketing speak". Does the roofing cost end up being any cheaper (than an add-on system) because you have forgone the need for standard tiles in sections of the roof?

Any other comments that might help with our plans would be gratefully received!

[kwhincop]

Solar Tiles

hi again,
these are 2 of the solar tiles I was looking at; anyone heard whether they are any good?

http://www.pvsolar.com.au/

http://www.monier.com.au/News/Show_3.aspx

[Sunking]

Here in the USA there were a couple of companies that offered solar roof shingles but quickly went out of biz as they could not keep up with the warranty claims and law suits filled against them.

The flexible shingles have two major problems:

1. The very sun's energy they capture quickly breakdown and dry out the polymer material the single is made of causes it to crack and go open circuit, and allowing water to penetrate into the structure.

2. Installation and trouble-shooting are a nightmare and extremely expensive. Like any of the polymer flexible solar cells they have very very low efficiency, meaning it takes a lot of them. The roof decking has to have channels and raceway installed to route all the hundreds of wires from all the shingles. With the massive number of wires involved, in inaccessible locations makes trouble-shooting impossible. Given the high failure rate of the shingles the systems would totally fail in a year or two with no way to repair them.

So I have a lot of the shingles in a warehouse I can make you a deal on. Just give me a shout, write me a check, and shipping address. You can also find them on EBAY for the DIY type of person

[russ]

Dow is coming out with their product but it will have the same problems Sunking mentioned.

Also it would really restrict access to the roof - sure wouldn't want someone walking around on your solar tiles. My cement tiles are delicate enough already.

[kwhincop]

thanks so much for your advice - I will definitely stay away from the shingles!
The other link I posted may be ok though? They just look like solar panels in a frame that can link together and form your roof section?

http://www.gr8inventions.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1066:pv-solar-tiles-&catid=73:environment&Itemid=95

[BuzzBuds]

thanks so much for your advice - I will definitely stay away from the shingles!
The other link I posted may be ok though? They just look like solar panels in a frame that can link together and form your roof section?

http://www.gr8inventions.com.au/inde...ment&Itemid=95

WOW DID YOU SEE THAT BUSTED PANEL I MEAN DAMN!!
and come on I would slap the uvreflection clean off that dude standing on those 2 panels waiting to bust 2 more lol wow

[kwhincop]

not sure if your eyes are better than mine, but I can't see any broken panels....or are you just expecting that there will be broken panels if people are walking on them?
maybe you could get around that concern by installing them in a bank only 1 panel deep, so then you could have access by walking on the surrounding normal tiles/roofing?
apparently these are off the cards for us anyway as they are too expensive at the moment; maybe in the future they will become more mainstream and hence more affordable.
would be interested to see if anyone has used them just out of curiosity..

[BuzzBuds]

not sure if your eyes are better than mine, but I can't see any broken panels....or are you just expecting that there will be broken panels if people are walking on them?

Ok there is a broken pannel the last photo of these panels 3rd panel from right top row is broken if you look at the rest of the photos above that last one you can see it saging but in the bottom photo they put clear glass or plexy to cover look at it closely you can see it is different from the rest

[kwhincop]

nice pickup - how bizarre they would let that photo be used for an article about Great Inventions?! you'd think they would at least have replaced it for the marketing shot!!!

[BuzzBuds]

Yeah you would which tells me they are not concerned with quality and saticfaction of their customers may be a good sign to stay away from them

[candie]

Solar roofing provides so many economic benefits, that despite its initial costs, it is ultimately a major investment towards both your home/building and your savings account. If you have decided to or are considering converting to a solar roof solution, you should most definitely speak with an expert.

[Sunking]

Solar roofing provides so many economic benefits, that despite its initial costs, it is ultimately a major investment towards both your home/building and your savings account. If you have decided to or are considering converting to a solar roof solution, you should most definitely speak with an expert. Our contractors can do a full inspection of your roof and advise where and how to install solar roofing systems for ultimate efficiency and effectiveness.

We have already debunked solar shingles, no one is buying it and is warned to stay far away as possible from them.

[russ]

That one was cute though - a spammer who forgot to drop a link!

[Sunking]

That one was cute though - a spammer who forgot to drop a link!

Yeah, he must have had a clue what the POTUS speech contained last night with his story of a roofing contractor in PA installing solar roof shingles.

[russ]

To date there has been a lot of talk and promotion along with fake pictures but nothing of any use whatsoever!

Maybe Dow will do better than others have. The company has the resources to do it if anyone can.

Unfortunately it will be 5 to 10 years before anyone can really say they are good.

Russ