Lumeta Makes Peel-and-Stick Solar Panel Installations a Breeze
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles 
on 05.11.08
Solar rooftop installations just got a lot easier: Lumeta, a subsidiary of construction heavyweight DRI, has developed a solar panel sticker -- the Power-Ply 380. The company says its convenient peel-and-stick solar technology allows it to be installed almost twice as fast as regular rack-mounted panels -- a claim put to the test in the above video.
The panels are half as heavy as concrete roofing tiles and can be tailored to fit on most tile designs -- concrete, clay, profile and flat (added bonus: they come in a variety of colors). As Wired Science's Alexis Madrigal notes, the Power-Ply's main downside is that it loses the sun's optimal angle, thus making the peel-and-stick panels less efficient than some of its alternatives.
That energy loss amounts to around 5% of the panels' power production. According to its promotional datasheet, its panels can each produce 380 Wp of power under peak performance conditions. Lumeta is hoping to ride on a wave of growing consumer interest in solar panels -- particularly new homeowners looking to invest in energy-efficient technologies for the long run.
While government and business incentives vary state, several companies in California, including Sun Run, SolarCity and Sungevity, are dangling loan programs and other goodies to entice homeowners to make the solar leap. Now if we could only get our hands on those hairy solar panels...
CORRECTION: See dredg's note in the comments; basically, each panel has a 380 Wp peak wattage (not 28 Wp), and the appropriate datasheet is here.
Via ::Wired Science: Roofing Company Develops Peel-and-Stick Solar Panels (blog)
See also: ::Turning Big Box Stores into Solar Power Plants in California, ::Hairy Solar Panels Could Result From Nanowire Breakthrough
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I didn't see a price here. All in all I think its a great idea but I hope it doesn't make the price go up to much for the convenience.
Wow. Forget the panels. I could eat off that roof!
It's neat and all, but are they ruined if you.. say.. want to move them to another location? Or would you have to dispose of the panels and start over?
I do like the simplistic installation though.
I saw this on discovery channel. They are selling at around $1 per square foot compared to regular solar panels at $10 per square foot. They said the cost could go down to $.10 per square foot once productions costs are reduced and demand increases.
If it loses efficiency due to the roof angle makes me wonder if. are their charts for optimal roof angle by location?
If I construct a larger shed for by backyard to hold storage batteries optimising the roof angle for my location would be easier from the get-go.
what about the heat build up around the panels?
nice idea though...
what about the heat build up around the panels?
nice idea though...
32 bucks a panel? When will these be at the home depot?
Who cares. They are importing a chinese product which, in & of itself, negates the so-called 'green' purpose.
I wonder where they are installing those at? Just have to wonder how well those would work in someplace like Michigan. I guess what I am getting at it, how well do those sticky solar panels work in someplace where its rains from time to time.
Jeremy,
the referenced datasheet is the wrong one; here is the right one:
http://www.dricompanies.com/Resources/Documents/LUMETA-Power-Ply380-Datasheet.pdf
Also, the peak wattage is 380wp, not 28. The 380 in the name is for the 380wp it can produce.
Each panel is 8'x4', and weighs just over 54lbs.
Some of you have some bad information. I happen to work for a general contractor, in the Bay Area, where one of the DRI Energy offices is located (and where this video was shot). These proprietary panels are going through UL Listing and have passed all the major test and are slotted for distribution in June of 2008. These panels are available to the residential public, but, do not have a very good application for a comp or clay tile roof. For DRI Energy's "Residential Solutions" you need to visit their website at: http://www.dricompanies.com/ResidentialSolutions.aspx. They have unique patents on both s-tile and flat tile solar solutions...
hey there,
thanks for sharing this article, I wonder if these Solar Panel Installations can accumulate solar energy so that it can be used at night-time... any ideas ?