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Photovoltaic (PV) Roofing Products—Are They Reliable?
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Abstract
The Wisconsin Solar Use Network (WisconSUN) promotes the mainstream use of photovoltaic (PV) systems.
By mainstream, we mean PV located in an urban environment, where land is expensive, and PV systems must be
aesthetically pleasing. Given this objective, WisconSUN envisions that portions of the building shell (i.e., rooftops,
facades, and windows) of our homes, shops and offices will be composed of PV modules and generating solar
electric power.
Initially, WisconSUN is focusing on PV roofing products. Currently there are three PV roofing products readily available in the US market:
- UniSolar PV Shingles
- UniSolar PV Standing-Seam Metal Roofing Panels
- Atlantis PV Roofing Slates (called SunSlates)
The UniSolar modules use an amorphous solar cell (a thin-film PV material). The Atlantis modules use a mono-crystalline silicon, polycrystalline or amorphous silica cell.
There have been four technical concerns with PV roofing products:
- Degradation of the amorphous silica material and PV output over time
- Delamination of the flexible module substrate and cover (used both with PV shingles and standing seam PV roofing)
- Shorts at the electrical connections between each module
- Roof leakage caused by wiring penetrations
We discuss each of these concerns in this paper.
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