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Red Clay and Blue Solar Make a Powerful, Gorgeous Roof

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Italy’s Area Industrie Ceramiche makes the Tegolasolare solar tiles that are cleverly designed to look every bit as traditional as antique clay tiles made in Tuscany. Providing clean electricity for people who object to the look of solar panels attached on top of a roof, this is a real aesthetic solution – looking as low-tech as anyone could want to buy.

In fact the combination of shiny blue tile and matte-finished lay terracotta tile its itself a traditional Southern Mediterranean color and texture combination widely seen in places like the Cote D’Azure, Algeria and Morocco.

Unlike many building integrated solar products, this one uses traditional solar monocrystalline silicon, not the newer thin film solar (which takes more space on the roof to make the same power).
Even so, it will already take more space to make the same power as these same modules would in a normal panel. It takes about 40 square meters to build a typical European home’s 3 KW system.

One solar power module comprising four photovoltaic cells is installed onto the roofing tile with ceramic body mix. Each 11 Watt module is easily interconnected to ultimately create a real photovoltaic roof, spaced between terracotta in a blend of old and new.

The matching plain clay tiles (that hold the modules) can also be installed as is.  The roof installation is normal once a raceway is installed underneath to connect the wiring between the solar tiles, and from the panels to the inverter or interface panel, making for a strong normal tile roof. Replacements are easily inserted if needed later for any reason.

Source: Solar Lighting