Wienerberger, an Austrian manufacturer of bricks and tiles, introduces the Alegra 10 Wevolt solar roof tile. It is a traditional ceramic roof tile, with a small solar panel integrated into it.
Wienerberger supplies the Alegra 10 Wevolt solar roof tile in black, so that the solar panel blends in with the look of the traditional roof tile. The dimensions of the solar roof tile are the same as those of traditional roof tiles such as Wienerberger’s. Regular tiles are laid at the edges of the roof and roof tiles with ventilation grids are added at the top.
The Alegra 10 Wevolt solar roof tile is equipped with a black solar panel with two cells and a power of 10 Watt peak. With MC4 plugs, the roof tiles are connected in series and up to 40 pieces can be combined per microinverter or optimiser. The modules have an efficiency of 17.10 percent.
There are 10.6 of the solar roof tiles in a square meter of roof. This brings the maximum power to about 100 Watt peak per m². With regular solar panels, this is about 200 Watt peak per m². The power of the solar roof tiles is lower because not the entire surface consists of solar cells. Due to the compact dimensions, the roof tiles are better placed around chimneys and windows.
It is possible to make a roof that partly consists of solar roof tiles and partly is equipped with ceramic roof tiles. This means that a roof can also be expanded later with additional solar roof tiles. The manufacturer does not disclose what the roof tiles cost. It is the intention that a contractor installs the roof tiles. The manufacturer has put processing advice with instructions on its website.
Wienerberger is not the first to combine ceramic roof tiles with solar panels. The Urker company ZEP already introduced this in 2016. That company filed for bankruptcy last year, but made a new start, according to Solar Magazine. Since then, Solarti from Urk seems to be supplying the solar roof tiles.