If your rooftop is not suitable for mounting solar panels, then you may have to consider the more costly solar roofing tiles.

Integrated solar

When you want to tap into the free sunshine to generate electricity from your roof but are not impressed by the appearance of solar systems on it, then installing solar roof tiles also known as building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) are the way to go.

BIPVs form part of the roofing materials tactfully integrated with similar non-solar tiles. In this post, we’ll take a closer look at the four most innovative products available on the market for any homeowner looking to install this solar panel alternative.

These include:

• Solartile by Monier
• Bristile solar roof tiles
• Tractile’s Eclipse solar PV tiles
• Nulok solar inserts

Why Consider Solar Roof Tiles?

Guaranteed aesthetics of a clean roof line

If your home is in a heritage conservation zone that restricts solar panel installation

If your north facing roof faces a street

If your roofing area is not well positioned for ordinary PV panels.

The advantages of solar roof tiles

Just like any ordinary solar PV panels, solar roofing tiles can produce energy to heat your water, power appliances as well as cool your house. Alongside these, there are other advantages which include:

• Drilling holes in the roof before installation is not required
• No need for bolding the tiles onto the roof hence no additional strain from blowing wind

Solar roof tiles are able to withstand cyclonic winds when compared to solar PV panels and when it comes to resistance to hail damage, they surpass the normal roofing materials in performance.

What is the cost of solar roofing tiles?

Generally, solar roofing tiles are more expensive than the ordinary solar system. To be fair, we chose a 4kW solar system and compared it with its solar roof tile counterpart as shown below.

The average cost of installing a 4kW solar panel in Australia today is $5,697, according to Hielscher Electrical, with the cost being inclusive of the cost of an inverter.

Although solar tiles cost more than the ordinary solar PV panels, it’s expected that they’ll look more attractive on the high-end, architect designed homes that feature slate or ceramic tiled roofs. But as it is common with most technologies, as the scale of production increases, the cost goes down.

Types of Roof Tiles

Solartiles by Monier

• Solar efficiency: 17.3%
• Space: 4kW of solar system takes up 30m2
• Cost: About $18,000 (4kW unit in NSW, installed with inverter)
• Warranty: 25 years with performance above 80% of power output. The product warranty for the solar tile is at 10 years.

Monier is a well-established company that has been installing roofs on Australian homes for over 100 years now. The company unveiled its Solartile which features monocrystalline cells. The company claims that their solar tiles were the very first BIPV roof products in Australia.

Both the supply and installation of the roofing system, as well as the application for the government rebates on the systems are all done by the company.

Bristile Solar Roof Tiles

• Solar efficiency: 16%
• Size: 4kW of solar takes up 28.5m2
• Cost: $15,675 (4kW comes with of Bristile solar tiles complete with Fronius inverter)
• Warranty: 25 years with its performance at 80% of the system’s full electricity generation potential. The 25-year warranty includes a 10-year product warranty on the structural integrity and another 10-year overall roof warranty for tile system.

Bristile Roofing is an Australian company that manufactures solar tiles integrated with flat tiles in various ranges including concrete, ceramic or terracotta.

Notably, the manufacturer claims that the solar roof tiles’ efficiency is at par with the conventional solar panels and the tiles feature monocrystalline cells manufactured by Suntech, a leading solar PV manufacturer.

Tractile’s Eclipse Solar PV Tiles

• Solar efficiency: 20%
• Space: 4kW of solar system takes up 24m2
• Cost: $13,000 (4kW of Tractile Eclipse Solar roofing tiles complete with an inverter, battens and hot water channels)
• Warranty: Features a standard performance warranty of 80% of its potential, 25 years warranty as well as a 30-year product warranty.

Tractile is an Australian company renowned to have designed and developed the exclusive interlocking roof tiles. The Tractile range features the Eclipse solar tile which is expected in the market soon.

Note: Installation prices can increase based on the roof’s design, location and site.

Nulok Solar Inserts

• Solar efficiency: 18.6–22.3%
• Space: 4kW of solar takes up 28.8m2
• Cost: About $8000–$14,000 (4kW solar component featuring GST fitted but excluding the inverter and/or electrical installation)
• Warranty: A 12-year warranty at 90% power production and a 25-year warranty at 80% electricity output.

Nulok is an Australian company that innovated Nulok roofing system which features the Nulok Solar inserts as well as slate and ceramic tiles within its range.

The company’s high efficiency and distinct solar roofing system has received numerous design awards here in Australia and globally and mostly targets architects and modern builds.

Read the full article on StormAssist.com.au