Solar tiles for roof coatings, shelters, facades

Italian manufacturer EnergyGlass, a unit of Italian turnkey PV system supplier GruppoSTG, has developed solar tiles for building-integrated PV (BIPV) applications.

The company, which operates a 1.5 MW factory in Cantú, in the northern Italian province of Como, claims that the tiles can be used to replace conventional roofs, or they can be integrated into existing rooftops. The BIPV products are fabricated with 4 mm, double- laminated safety glass.

“Slides, brackets and drains placed on the back enable an easy and quick installation” GruppoSTG Technical Director Sofia Tiozzo Pezzoli told pv magazine. “The color of the front glass can be chosen depending on the project.”

Tiozzo Pezzoli said that the tiles are produced to integrate the stratification of the safety glass with interposed photovoltaic cells. They are available in three different variants. The TG-EGM45ST tile was conceived for rooftop coatings and is available in black and white versions, as well as a colored variant with power outputs of 245 W, 240 W, and 220 W, respectively, and efficiencies of 16.17%, 15.84%, and 14.52%.

“The third version is available in different colors,” Tiozzo Pezzoli said. The 45-cell monocrystalline product measures 1,010 mm x 1,500 mm x 9 mm and weighs in at 34.5 kg.

A smaller 24-cell version of this variant is the TG-EGM24ST, with power outputs of 135 W, 130 W, and 120 W, respectively, and efficiencies of 17.65%, 17.0%, and 15.69%. Its size is 765 mm x 1,000 mm x 9 mm and it weighs 17.3 kg.

The second variant is the TG-SPL-BA tile, which is designed for solar facades. The 45-cell devices are also available in black, white, and colored versions, with a power of 295 W, 290 W, and 265 W. Efficiencies include 19.54%, 19.21%, and 17.56%. They measure 1,000 mm x 1,510 mm x 9 mm and weigh 34.5 kg. The smaller 24-cell version, the TG-SPL-AA, measures 1,025 mm x 1,000 mm x 9 mm and weighs 23 kg.

The third product in the series is the TG-EGM tile, which is intended for use in shelters. The products are available with different levels of transparency, ranging from 20% to 43%. The efficiency ranges from 9.57% to 13.82% and its power output ranges from 85 W to 210 W.

The first two products in the series are encapsulated with EVA film and the third one with PVB. All of the products have an operating temperature coefficient of -0.38% per degree Celsius and feature an IP68 enclosure. They all come with 25-year linear power output guarantees and 10-year product guarantees.

“The company is currently investing in more R&D and the commercialization of new BIPV solutions through new strategic partnerships,” Tiozzo Pezzoli said.