GAF Energy, a provider of solar roofing in North America, announced the launch of Timberline Solar, which the company is calling the world’s first nailable solar shingle.
This week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the Timberline Solar Energy Shingle will receive three awards, including its highest honor, the Best of Innovation award, for ‘Smart Cities.’ The product was also named an Innovation Award honoree in both the ‘Smart Cities’ and ‘Smart Home’ categories.
What sets this apart from other solar shingles, Tesla’s for example, is that the roof system directly integrates solar technology into traditional roofing processes and materials. The shingles will be assembled domestically at GAF Energy’s facility in San Jose, California, which was constructed last year after the company moved manufacturing out of South Korea. At the time the facility was expected to be able to produce 50 MW of solar panels annually, and provide jobs to about 400 people in manufacturing, engineering, and R&D.
In an interview with pv magazine, Martin DeBono, GAF Energy’s president, said that R&D teams will be a short stroll away from the production line. And while California and Silicon Valley are not known for their low costs, the company chose San Jose for its proximity to a talent pool that is used to innovating for Apple, Google, and others.
GAF Energy reports that Timberline Solar shingles are water-shedding, strong and warranted to withstand winds up to 130 mph. Rack-mounted solar installations require the drilling of dozens of holes into the roof membrane. Any resulting damage related to those holes is not typically covered by roof warranties. GAF Energy is the sister company of GAF, a leading roofing and waterproofing company. With access to GAF’s national contractor network, GAF Energy is uniquely positioned to bring residential solar to the mass market.
“Solar roofs are the future of clean energy, and Timberline Solar is the game-changing innovation that will get us there,” said Martin DeBono, president of GAF Energy.
“Realizing our vision of a breakthrough mass-market solar roof has been our mission since we launched GAF Energy in 2019. What the team has accomplished is nothing short of extraordinary,” said David Winter and David Millstone, co-CEOs of Standard Industries, parent company of GAF Energy.
The Timberline Solar design achieved UL’s 7103 certification, which authorizes GAF Energy to install the system on residential roofs as a roofing product and a solar energy product, the first of its kind to be recognized as both. In addition, GAF Energy worked with Sandia National Laboratories, a U.S. Department of Energy research and development lab, to verify the product’s strength, durability, and overall market-readiness.
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A problem for California is only C10 electrical contractors will be allowed to install where the roofer has to guarantee. No electrician should be on the roof to work on others product. Very confusing. Is the waterproofing under the shingles to last as long as the shingles? Like concrete tiles where the roofing lasts longer than the water barrier. Are the tiles affected when the rest of the roof has to be replaced?