Solar Shingles

Imagine covering your entire roof with solar cells that have a 25 year warranty and are being subsidized by the government. A ridiculous waste of money if you ask me (not only in terms of resources put into making the cells and the efficiency of those cells given today’s solar technology), but something that will possibly match the popularity of the iPod in the 90′s or the cash for clunkers program seeing as much of the cost will be bore by other taxpayers. The cost of these would be relatively high and the amount of time before these become available to the general public is just as dubious as the Starcraft 2 release date was five years ago. An excellent invention, in my opinion, yet the free market should decide the price of these and not the government in my opinion.

solar shingles

These panels are being announced and researched and by Dow Chemical Company (NYSE:DOW) codename “Powerhouse” and the company claims after 10 years that they will pay for themselves with government subsidies factored in. This is quite ridiculous indeed as if this was the case (and I doubt it is) than one would probably profit more and help the environment more by investing in oil futures – thereby doing their part in increasing the price hence decreasing the consumption utility of oil than buying a product that is covered in plastic (an oil product) that saps money from the government and is less cost efficient energy-wise than wisely insulating ones home.

Dow is not the inventor of solar shingles, there is a company called Uni-Solar which already makes the product but uses an older amorphous silicon technology for homes and who’s website claims to be “the only flexible photovoltaic product produced in commercially viable volumes”. Dow is utilizing ‘Copper indium gallium selenide‘ (CIGS) technology which has better efficiency (up to 19%) and generously applying its ample knowledge of plastics to increase the defenses of this otherwise extremely vulnerable photovoltaic cell. I sincerely hope that this drives solar technology to a new level, one in which solar can become cost effective and boast a longer lifetime. In fact, a good way to capitalize or encourage Dow Chemical’s ventures into this realm is to invest in it! However, there are other areas of Dow Chemical and its history of environmental ‘clashes’ that makes me wonder whether this venture is in a way an atonement for those other incidents. The Political Economy Research Institute ranks Dow Chemical third among corporations emitting airborne pollutants in the United States, an unavoidable figure as one of the world’s largest chemical companies. On a side note, Dow Chemical acquired Rohm and Haas company April 1st, 2009.

P.S. Much research has apparently been done on the beautification of the shingles, as many homeowners associations besmirch notions of acquiring applying such technology by passing rules against the installation of solar shingles, along with coloring the house green and the construction of giant garden gnomes.