Dow’s solar shingles get UL certification, set for 2011 commercialization

Dow Chemical said Tuesday that its Powerhouse Solar Shingle, which is a photovoltaic solar panel that can be integrated into standard asphalt roofing material, landed the Underwriters Laboratories safety certification.

These shingles are notable on a few fronts. For starters, the Powerhouse shingles promise to make installations less complex. Meanwhile, the solar shingles look just like the current ones on your roof. Dow considers its shingles to be the missing link to drive solar adoption in residential areas.

The UL safety certification is a milestone for the Powerhouse shingles, which Dow said it expects to commercialize in mid-2011. These shingles eliminate on-roof wiring and are installed just like normal ones.

Dow said it will continue to test durability and reliability for its Powerhouse shingles. Dow added that it will use CIGS (Copper Indium Gallium deSelenide) as the PV material in the shingle. Global Solar Energy will be the preferred supplier.

At Dow’s investor day Tuesday, the company had a bevy of interesting announcements. Dow said that the company is focused to grow earnings and continue to invest in its advanced materials, performance and agricultural units as well as specialty plastics. Dow said its innovation pipeline is valued at $30 billion and it generates two-thirds of its revenue outside of North America. The company touted projects around the world in India, Latin America and China as well as Brazil and Saudi Arabia.