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Solar Shingles For Your Roof

Dow and Global Solar Energy have teamed up to take on the Department of Energy’s “Solar America Initiative (SAI)” to create building-integrated solar. The purpose of the SAI is basically to create an incentive for the development of cheap, simple building-integrated photovoltaic systems. Dow Building Solutions wants to take Global Solar Energy’s panels and, basically, turn them into roofing shingles.

Expensive, shiny, energy harnessing, roofing shingles.

Global Solar Energy produces thin-film, flexible CIGS solar panels for a variety of markets already. Dow was excited to partner with them because they’re the only producers currently making flexible panels that meat the SAI’s requirement for 10% efficiency.

Photovoltaic roofing shingles aren’t a new idea, but using low-cost CIGS panels could make the technology significantly more cost competitive. As more CIGS manufacturers move onto the scene, we could be seeing a lot more of this sort of transparent, distributed power generation.

This blog will be about the ramblings of a union electrician. I’m 42 years old and have been a member of the IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers), for over twenty years.

For those who are not familiar with union electricians, the IBEW and UAW are two totally different games. Unlike the UAW, IBEW Electricians, can be laid off without cause at any time. That means we have to hit the long ball.

I’m presently working at the Rouge Complex in Dearborn, MI. Severstal Steel is currently in the middle of a large renovation of the facility.

More on that next time.