Metal roofs to get solar makeover

Solar roofing specialist Solar Integrated Technologies has launched a new form of solar panel designed to effectively replace metal roofs, amid claims that it already has $8m in orders booked for the new integrated solar technology.

Rather than providing solar panels that can be bolted onto roofs, Solar Integrated specialises in photovoltaic solar panels that are integrated into the roofing material itself. The new M2 product extends this range, providing a lightweight thin film photovoltaic laminate that can be installed directly onto metal roofs, garages and other suitable structures.

The company said the technology would be available in a range of configurations, but the typical approach would see two photovoltaic laminates with a rated peak output of up to 288 watts fixed to an aluminum-zinc coated steel sheet with a length of 5.6m, a width of 0.87m and a sheet thickness of 0.8mm. The whole sheet would weigh 9kg per metre squared, making it a workable replacement for most metal roofing applications.

The company said that it had already received orders worth over $8m scheduled for delivery this year, including a $2.4m order from Italian utility Fiorini Impianti.

Fiorini Bassi, President of Fiorini Impianti srl, said that the technology would qualify for Italy's feed-in tariff and would provide customers with a form of solar panel that is "simple to incorporate and, importantly, doesn't compromise the roofing integrity".

Solar Integrated vice president for sales and marketing in Europe, Bart van Ouystel, predicted that demand for the technology was likely to expand. "There is a large addressable market in Europe for our M2 product, particularly in Italy and Spain with an estimated 16 million m² of commercial metal roofs," he said.