SOLAR ROOF TILES : Latest generation solar technology
Solar tiles are an excellent alternative to solar panels that sometimes affect the visual of the house. The solar tiles installed on your roof produce a very pleasant view of your home while you are generating electricity.
Do your current tiles need to be replaced? Would you like to switch to solar energy, but normal solar panels do not match the appearance of your (new) home?
SOLAR ROOF TILES
In that case it may be interesting to invest in solar roof tiles. Solar tiles replace traditional roof tiles. In this article you can read more about what solar tiles are, how much they cost compared to normal tiles and the savings you can make with them.
What are solar tiles?
Solar panels can now be placed in a house in different ways. In addition to the regular (‘normal’) way in which the solar panels are placed on the roof, there is now an alternative: the solar tile.
The solar panels are integrated in the tiles. Often all panels are connected to an inverter . Currently there are two types of solar roof tiles: those of crystalline and those of thin film. The thin-film solar tiles have a smaller capacity than crystalline tiles.
Thin film sunscreens look a little more pleasant again due to the intense black color. A second alternative to traditional solar panels is the installation of solar panels as roof covers .
Sun tiles price, performance and return
Solar tiles look great, but they are much more expensive than normal solar panels . If you compare costs with a standard solar system, the average price of a solar tile with the same capacity (Wp number) is 3 times higher.
This is partly because he installs a completely new tile roof and removes the old one. That is labor-intensive work. Therefore, you really have to compare it to having a set of new tiles combined with a normal solar panel installation.
Solar roof tiles
In addition to the fact that solar tiles are more expensive than solar panels, they also offer less. The two main reasons for this are the oblique bulge of the solar tiles and the ventilation under the tile.
The tiles of the sunroof often have an oblique bulge, which means that the sun can not fall completely on the solar cells.
The ventilation under the roof tile is also deficient and the tiles work less efficiently at high temperatures. The performance of solar panels decreases as the panel heats up. Because not all solar shingles use solar energy, you need 25 percent more roof space compared to normal solar panels.
| Solar tiles | Solar panels | |
| Installation costs | € 3,500 | € 1,000 |
| Tiles (500 pieces) / Solar panels 4500 WP | € 10,000 | € 4,500 |
| Total costs | € 13,500 | € 5,500 |
| Amortization time | 20 years | 7 years |
In summary, a solar tile is an emerging and unique application of solar energy that is particularly attractive from an aesthetic point of view.
However, the price of solar tiles is still quite high, which means that the recovery time is 2 to 3 times longer than that of normal solar panels.
When are solar tiles interesting?
Due to the high installation costs of solar tiles, they are rarely seen on the streets. Although solar shingles are in development, they are currently mainly interesting for:
- Residents who are willing to pay much more for the aesthetic aspect;
- Residents of new houses;
- Residents whose roof needs a profound renovation;
- Residents of houses for which the installation of normal solar panels on the roof is prohibited by Monumentzorg.
This innovative technique is not yet widely used, which means that there are still few suppliers in the market. Contact us for questions and advice about reliable suppliers!
What are the advantages of solar tiles?
- It often looks better than solar panels on the roof.
- They can fill the entire roof. Where solar panels can only be installed on one part of the roof, the entire roof can be covered with solar tiles .
- You need less new shingles for new construction or if you replace your existing roof.
- Solar panels can be placed on different types of tiles .
- Solar tiles are more resistant to severe weather conditions .
What are the disadvantages of solar tiles?
- The angle with the sun depends on the inclination of the roof and, therefore, can not be optimal. With a normal solar panel, this angle can be adjusted perfectly, unlike a solar tile.
- The installation of solar tiles is approximately 2 to 3 times more expensive than that of normal solar panels.
- A solar tile square meter (110 watts peak per m 2 ) provides less than one square meter of solar panel (150 watts peak per m 2 ).
- In short, when the recovery period of normal solar panels is around 7 years, for solar tiles it increases to 20 years.
