Solar Integrated Hi-Strength Aesthetic Metal Roofing Panels

Otherlab will build a manufacturing platform for building-integrated, solar photovoltaics, developing an aesthetic solution leveraging the modular construction of modern metal roofing. This platform will use computational design tools to generate a custom panel cut list for each roof based on architectural data, and a custom cell-level layout, ensuring the clean and aesthetic integration of the photovoltaics into the house architecture. This technology will allow a significantly greater proportion of the roof to be covered, as accommodations can be made for angles, windows, and protuberances. As such, the resulting building-integrated panels will be rated for supporting the weight of a worker, leveraging the inherent savings in required structural mass that comes from combining the PV module and roof panel into one. Further, the customized layout provides the opportunity for substring maximum power tracking, which can significantly reduce the effects of partial shading and differing incidence. Compared to conventional crystalline PV panels, the proposed technology would be a step change improvement in building integration and aesthetics. Compared to conventional flexible solar and other building integrated approaches (i.e., solar shingles), the hardware costs will be lower, installation easier, and efficiency higher. Expanding US and global photovoltaic installations could drastically reduce residential energy costs to the consumer and demand on the grid. If installation costs can be paired with another home system, it would create larger gains in the costs-to-savings ratio for homeowners new to solar power generation. During Phase I, Otherlab will 1) design and fabricate corrugated roofing panels with solar cells incorporated structurally into the panel corrugations themselves, 2) demonstrate a limited-scale production line for producing these PV-integrated roof panels, and 3) perform a small (1-10kW) installation for testing. This work builds on prior work by the team in the solar industry, including Sunfolding, a low-cost tracking system for utility scale solar. Further, the team is also currently developing a technology for large format direct-write electrical wiring, which may be leveraged for the cell-level interconnection. All technical work will be carried out in Otherlab’s technical facilities, which includes the necessary electronic test equipment and rapid prototyping capabilities.