Solar tile made in Germany

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From pv magazine Germany

German solar manufacturer Autarq has announced it will ramp up the capacity of its solar tile manufacturing facility in the eastern German city of Prenzlau, where production started in 2018.

The company says its products have already been used on 205 rooftops in Germany. “The projects range in size from 5 to 8 kW,” a spokesperson from Autarq told pv magazine.

The price for end customers is between €25 and €30 per tile. According to Autarq, a rooftop incorporating its monocrystalline solar tiles may be able to cover up to 70 percent of the electricity requirements of a single-family home.

Each tile has a power output of 10 to 12.5 W, depending on the size, and a power density of 127–135 W per square meter. According to the company, a 5 kW installation would require approximately 500 tiles for a total surface of around 40 m².

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Visually, the photovoltaic roof tiles can hardly be distinguished from the original roof tiles. There are also no differences in weight, which is why the roof statics are not affected, according to the manufacturer.

The company also claims that the tile and the PV unit are connected to form a robust component, so that the water flow and tightness of the roofs are preserved. Cables and plug contacts are located under the roof cladding and are thus protected against the effects of the weather.

Autarq also specifies that a photovoltaic system built with the tile is insensitive to shading due to the parallel connection. Skylights, chimneys, ventilation pipes or antennas would also have little influence on the installation and efficient operation of the systems.

The tiles come with a 25-year performance guarantee.

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