The new way to get rooftop solar installed: standard-sized shingles

DOW is beginning to market its new solar shingles. They can be integrated into the standard-sized asphalt shingle roofs common over much of America. The DOW™ POWERHOUSE™ Solar Shingles are photovoltaic solar panels in the form of shingles. The groundbreaking technology from Dow Solar Solutions (DSS) integrates low-cost, thin-film CIGS photovoltaic cells into a proprietary design. The Powerhouse Solar Shingle reduces installation costs because the conventional roofing shingles and solar generating shingles are installed simultaneously by roofing contractors. DSS expects an enthusiastic response from roofing contractors since no specialized skills or knowledge of solar array installations are required. The solar shingle systems are expected to be available in limited quantities by mid-2010 and projected to be more widely available in 2011. This will help out solar electricity generation directly and conveniently in the hands of homeowners. In 2007, the Company received $20 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy to develop “building integrated” solar arrays for the residential and commercial markets. The Powerhouse Shingles are being made in Midland, Michigan. Dow is also active in other areas of solar products from solar thermal to work on photovoltaic efficiency.