CertainTeed EnerGen Solar-Power Roofing
Feb. 26, 2010 — OK, so the picture shows a house and not your typical co-op / condo apartment building. But the signature advantage of this particular new type of solar-power panel remains the same, whether you're in a pre-war Romanesque revival designed by Stanford White or a lovely townhouse condo in Queens: Unlike most other kinds of solar panels, this one doesn't need to penetrate your roof for installation. That, as you know, eliminates the risk of rainwater getting in through the penetrations. And let's face it: To a roof, water may as well be sulfuric acid for all the damage it can cause once it gets in.
The EnerGen photovoltaic (PV) solar-power roofing system, from the CertainTeed Corporation of Valley Forge, Pa., uses thin-film laminates from Michigan's United Solar Ovonic, a.k.a. Uni-Solar, one of the world's largest manufacturers of same. This allows the EnerGen panels to integrate with traditional roofing materials, and lie flush. The goal, the company writes, is that, "By providing a more aesthetically pleasing, unobtrusive roof plane with no roof penetrations, the product overcomes the largest objection to the acceptance of solar panels."
The system comes in pre-engineered kits containing all the components necessary for installation. It has a flexible design that allows you customize it for your specific energy needs and environmental conditions.
The company is also a little flexible in its claims that it was presented with "the Energy Star Partner of the Year Award by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency." It was actually a Partner of the Year Award, which went to six companies in 2009, and it went to the parent company, Saint-Gobain. Let's just say maybe the sun got in their — because that embellishment aside, this does seem a genuinely progressive product.
CertainTeed Corporation • 750 E. Swedesford Road, Valley Forge, Pa., 19482-0101 • (610) 341-7000 • toll-free ( 800) 233-8990 • E-mail contact page here