Comments for Dow Solar Shingles Finally Hitting U.S. Markets at http://www.ecogeek.org , comment 1 to 9 out of 9 comments http://www.ecogeek.org Mon, 20 May 2013 03:14:22 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.3 http://www.ecogeek.org/solar-power/3624-dow-solar-shingles-finally-hitting-us-markets#comment-46558 How cost per m^2 ??? - Cheap Wed, 16 May 2012 04:17:55 +0100 http://www.ecogeek.org/solar-power/3624-dow-solar-shingles-finally-hitting-us-markets#comment-45706 I love the idea of an economical way to push solar power on the masses, but it seems like these shingles will be more of a gimmick than actual resource. At only around  efficiency I can see these powering a whole house even under maximum conditions, and in the end would be tough to recover your cost of initial set up with the small energy savings they provide. - Solar Shingler Mon, 13 Feb 2012 00:47:12 +0100 http://www.ecogeek.org/solar-power/3624-dow-solar-shingles-finally-hitting-us-markets#comment-44859 "Another bonus is that solar panels of any type keep areas under where they're installed cooler, which means you'll need less electricity for cooling anyways." I can not imagine that these would keep the house cooler than would regular shingles, let alone the new "cool shingles". - Skip Thu, 03 Nov 2011 07:38:01 +0100 http://www.ecogeek.org/solar-power/3624-dow-solar-shingles-finally-hitting-us-markets#comment-44858 I would like to see a solar paint application like the one I read about in Japan in 2008. But stuck in a lesser technically country like the U.S.A. If you knew how advance Japan is you would fall off you seat. I guess these shingles is the next best thing. The Shingles could have thermal bonded connectors and snap into each other like modern interconnecting flooring. Give the house a 3 in 1 punch. Add Wind Vanes on top and thermal panels that produce electricity from heat. - Phil Williams Thu, 03 Nov 2011 04:33:01 +0100 http://www.ecogeek.org/solar-power/3624-dow-solar-shingles-finally-hitting-us-markets#comment-44845 Could Dow, the manufacturer of napalm, Agent Orange, and GMO crops, actually mend its ways and become a protector of life on the planet? - Gardepeach Wed, 02 Nov 2011 12:20:22 +0100 http://www.ecogeek.org/solar-power/3624-dow-solar-shingles-finally-hitting-us-markets#comment-44843 Are they Hail and Wind resistant? I would love to hear what the Insurance companies will charge for the additional risk. - Eddie Wed, 02 Nov 2011 12:05:25 +0100 http://www.ecogeek.org/solar-power/3624-dow-solar-shingles-finally-hitting-us-markets#comment-44824 This raises some good points. My partner and I blog on the sustainability movement from a business perspective (www.greenbusinessmatters.com) and this is a recurring theme. The crux of the clean energy (wind, solar, geothermal) quandary is building a business case for investing in it. In other words, from a business perspective, what is the ROI? Depending on tax credits and incentives, this tends to be at least 5-7 years. If we hope to see less dependence on carbon fuels, we need to figure out business models for alternative energy that shorten this time. We have the technology and we need the jobs. It seems like a nation that can put a man on the moon should be able to figure this out! - Frank Sat, 29 Oct 2011 12:07:56 +0100 http://www.ecogeek.org/solar-power/3624-dow-solar-shingles-finally-hitting-us-markets#comment-44795 @Phung I agree its not ideal, but the house gets a more affordable sustainable energy system, rather than a complex thermal collection and storage system linked to a turbine for generation purposes. I prefer your system concept more, but knowing that many folks just don't keep up with stuff, I think the solar is easiest to deal with. As for the connectors issue, we shall see how that goes. Ideally, I think that we could incinerate our garbage for power generation using a micro incineration system, then have some kind of X kilowat storage system, most house don't need 10 KW storage over night, unless of course electricity is used to heat the house in winter and cool it in summer, then I can see your point. I look at these systems as ways to reduce strain on the grid and compliment peak use times of day. - Temk Tue, 25 Oct 2011 03:43:23 +0100 http://www.ecogeek.org/solar-power/3624-dow-solar-shingles-finally-hitting-us-markets#comment-44792 These things have the potential to be a maintenance nightmare. Consider that each shingle must have an electrical connection, there will be a lot of electrical connections on the roof. Unless the connectors are made to a very high specification they will become resistive over time. A better roof top solar system would use thermal collection and storage with a liquid-gas phase change to drive a small turbine. You would obtain dozens of kW from such a system, not a puny 3kW. - Phung Mon, 24 Oct 2011 18:00:03 +0100