This 3 in 1 Roof boosts solar cell efficiency with new approach to surface temperature management

Slate solar 3 in one roof

Black or blue silicone solar cells have average efficiency ratings of around 22 percent in test settings, often with a range of 15 to 17 percent in real-world conditions during a course of the day. The creators of the new 3 in 1 Roof system think they have a better solution, at least when it comes to mitigating efficiency loses caused by high temperatures.

The 3 in 1 Roof

3 IN 1 ROOF is designed for the roofer by a roofing contractor located in South Florida. After hurricane Wilma, the contractor completed several hundred roofing jobs where he analyzed why traditional tiles failed under such extreme weather conditions and corrected those flaws in his design of the 3 IN 1 ROOF product.

3 IN 1 ROOF install much, much faster than traditional tiles so roofers earn more annual profits without increasing personnel. 3 IN 1 ROOF will not break or crack under foot because its underside patented wedge shape design eliminates potential fractures when too much pressure is applied. Also every horizontal and vertical row installs perfectly straight without chalking lines.

How it reduces temperature

For every 20 degrees, the surface temperature of a traditional roof rises above 120 degrees, the solar functionality decreases by 5 percent. Therefore when common roof products are at their hottest, a solar panel’s efficiency is at its lowest. Plus, asphalt, concrete and metal takes many hours to heat up, and the same amount of time to cool down or even longer if the attic is poorly ventilated.

RELATED: Silicon heterojunction solar cell technology moves beyond the lab

The secret sauce of the 3 in 1 Roof system is two amalgamates. The 3 IN 1 ROOF embodiment is comprised of heat-resistant closed cell foam, and it’s coated with a durable Geopolymer that increases in temperature only about 12 degrees above ambient. As the ambient rises and falls, so does the surface temperature of the 3 in 1 Roof and at near simultaneous frequencies. Therefore, unless summer temperatures exceed over 110 degrees Fahrenheit, the 3 in 1 Roof system’s solar module will always yield maximum efficiency.

Through in-house testing, the company shows that the 3 in 1 Roof system is “as efficient” as solar panels between the morning and afternoon hours. But after 3 p.m., the difference in performance is dramatic. On an 88 to 90 degree day, test data reveals beyond mid-afternoon about 23% more energy is generated by the 3 IN 1 ROOF, because traditional roofing has collected and amassed so much heat from the sun, it reaches surface temperatures well over 150 degrees. When one takes into account around 4-5 hours of advanced power creation, it mathematically boosts the 3 IN 1 ROOF system’s over all efficiency rating to 17 to 19 percent.

3 in 1 Roof features a highly UV resistant topcoat that keeps its surface temperature slightly above ambient temperatures. Also our durable foam embodiment prevents heat transference prolonging substrate life expectancy by approximately 300%, while it keeps attics cool saving up to 38% on BTU consumption. That means reduced monthly kilowatt needs lending lower fuel bills and most important, a lesser amount of solar cells needed to power the house, allowing consumers to reduce before they produce

In addition, its SPF-like foam character blocks all solar gains from entering into the attic area, lending day-long cool substrates, decking and garrets, virtually eliminating heat flowback.

What is heat flowback and why eliminate it?

Solar gains into an attic causes all sorts of humidity issues fundamentally negative to any structure, including but not limited to; dry-rot, condensation, mold and everything that’s related to moisture plus heat. Flowback is when attics get so hot, they’re virtually structural incubators. Hot air prevents the wood decking it contacts from cooling down while the traditional roofing cools over night, thus prolonging the roof’s ability to equalize ambient temperature.

All these dilemmas are not only problematic with traditional roofing systems, they’re also drawbacks for each and every integrated solar tile and integrated solar shingles system, but not for the 3 in 1.

— Solar Builder magazine

[source: https://solarbuildermag.com/mounting-solutions-guide/this-3-in-1-roof-boosts-solar-cell-efficiency-with-new-approach-to-surface-temperature-management/]


Posted

in

,

by

Comments

Leave a Reply