Being in an age where having environmentally friendly everyday items is becoming more and more commonplace, solar roofing panels are quickly taking over neighborhoods across America. Not only do they look great, but they are environmentally friendly, save you money on electric bills, and last for many many years.

There are two main types of solar roofing called Crystalline and BIPV (Building Integrated Photovoltaic). Both of these electricity making systems have a moderate cost when it comes to the initial installation, but over time they’ll pay for themselves by saving you money on energy bills. By cutting down the reliance on electricity, they have a positive effect on the environment by reducing pollution caused from power plants.

Recently solar roofing has been picking up at quite a fast pace. Many people jump to negative conclusions about the installation of a solar roof, with the belief that you have to make large holes in your roof and bring in heavy duty equipment to hold the panels.

However, that isn’t the case. With all the advancements in the field of solar energy roofing technology, today’s solar roofing products have all the benefits of lightweight tiles, ease of installation, and strong durability. These are just a handful of reasons solar roofing a great choice.

Solar roofs mainly consist of solar roof tiles, but can also consist of solar panels. Solar tiles are less prominent than large solar panels, which are fitted on top of the current roofing system. Solar tiles can be easily adjusted into the roofing shingles, and easily blend into the roof type because of their dark blue gray appearance. A person who doesn’t know about the presence of the solar roof tiles would not be able to identify them at the first glance. Solar tiles weigh 2-3 pounds for every square foot, making it easier to install when compared to heavier solar panels.

Solar roofing is very helpful if you are trying to avoid or cut down on a costly electricity bill. In the long run, and if installed correctly, solar roofing will prove less costly, and in some cases even eliminate the whole electricity bill. You may even be able to supply power to other homes if your energy consumption is small enough. Taking these factors into consideration, solar roofing could be a real great investment for you.

Contact Our Bay Area Solar Company Today

Whether you want solar roofing to save money on your electricity bills or to contribute towards reducing your energy consumption, having them fitted by a professional roofing contractor is a must. Having solar panels is a great step in the right direction to help protect the Earth and our environment. If you are interested in learning more about solar panels or solar tile installation, contact us online today or give us a call at (510) 780-9489.

Since the U.S. Department of Energy began investing in solar in the 1980s, this environmentally-friendly energy source has continued to grow in popularity. In fact, given the incredible surge in interest in solar that’s developed over the past 5 years or so (hat tip: Elon Musk), California may be poised to witness a veritable solar energy revolution.

Check out these fun facts about solar solutions.

1. Solar tiles collect energy from the most abundant energy source available on our planet. – The sun supplies the Earth with 173,000 terawatts of continuous energy.

2. A single CSP (Concentrating Solar Power) plant can supply power to thousands. – One average sized CSP plant generates enough power for 70,000 homes.

3. Italy and Germany love solar. – Although any homeowner can invest in solar energy roofing, solar energy gets the most attention in Italy and Germany.

4. Spacecrafts utilize solar energy. – Since the 1960’s, orbiting satellites have put solar energy to good use.

5. California’s Mojave Desert houses the world’s largest solar energy project. – The Mojave Desert project includes 350,000 mirrors and will generate power for 140,000 homes.

[See Also: History of Solar Energy]

Bringing Solar Energy Roofing to Your Bay Area Home

Curious about exploring a solar solution for your home’s energy needs? The experienced solar roofing installers at Century Roof & Solar can help. Call (888) 233-7548 or contact us today for a solar consultation.

The post Did You Know: Interesting Facts About Solar Energy first appeared on Bay Area Roofing & Solar.]]> 1165 https://centuryrooftile.com/solar-bay-area-roofing-blog/solar-panel-installation-apprehensions/ Sat, 30 May 2015 00:09:18 +0000 http://www.centuryrooftile.com/solar-bay-area-roofing-blog/?p=1089 We offer the answers to the most common installation worries so you can begin your energy saving investment. Read on to learn more about solar solutions.

Heat on solar tiles does impact the way your green technology works, but not exactly in the way the conventional wisdom might have you believe. More heat beaming down on your roof actually starts to reduce the efficiency of the solution after a certain point. What accounts for this counter-intuitive result? The energy that comes from the sun’s rays translates to power, but this energy is not necessarily equivalent to the amount of heat generated by sunlight.

So what does this quirk of physics mean for you as a homeowner or landlord?

If you look into solar solutions, scan through the manufacturer’s information for the temperature coefficient. This metric will tell you how much your energy production decreases when the panels heat up past a certain point. The opposite is also true, by the way. Cooler temperatures can allow certain solar technologies to absorb more of the sun’s rays and increase the energy output.

You can also look at the efficiency rating. This metric indicates the usable percentage of sunlight that the solar technology will absorb. This rating impacts the amount of space you will need to dedicate to a solar solution installation.

Ask your solar company for advice on the best solar technology for your location. Whether you live in a warm environment where temperatures regularly rise or you’re situated in a foggy, windy, shady spot near the Bay will impact the solutions that are appropriate for you as well as your ideal solar cell placement. For the maximum efficiency, you must match your solar solution for your geography and landscape.

Our East Bay Roofing Experts Know Solar!

Our team can help with these calculations, so you can maximize the value of a remodel or investment. Call (888) 233-7548 or fill out a contact form today!

Burning fossil fuels has a direct impact on the levels of CO2 and greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Driving cars, turning on lights, bathing, and cooking all indirectly serve to elevate CO2 levels. Left unchecked, high concentrations of CO2 gas in the atmosphere could unpredictably alter the world’s climate.

Solar solutions can help reduce CO2 pollution and effectively reduce the amount of greenhouse energy consumed residentially and commercially. Those who choose to install solar enjoy energy savings of up to 80%, and they can receive grants, tax breaks, and other subsidies to offset the initial cost of investment.

Solar roofing solutions are also space saving and practical, both for homeowners and businesses. Thanks to the advent of cool technologies, like solar roofing shingles that look and act almost exactly like traditional wooden shingles, you can transform your property without adding a “showy” or cumbersome solar array. You can implement these kinds of roofing reforms almost anywhere – even in urban and largely shaded areas — and the savings may cover the cost of the investment in only a few years.

Modern designs are discreet; they can capture the sun’s rays even on cloudy days and in cooler weather. The only time these systems will not absorb energy is at night. Engineers have designed solutions that harness enough energy during the day to account for the unusable time at night.

The nation currently has enough installations to offset the costs of powering over a million homes. If the trend toward solar and other renewables continues to rise, the impact may be strong enough to slow down or stop the effects of CO2 emissions on the climate.

Contact Us to Save Money with Solar Roofing Solutions

If you’re interested in saving money while saving the planet, and you’re looking for a Bay Area solar company, please consider getting in touch for a free consultation. Give us a call at (510) 780-9489.

The market’s desire for solar solutions is spiking. Thanks in part to fears generated by climate change, Californians have been focusing relentlessly over the past few years on expanding the solar energy market. Bay Area solar companies, in turn, are capitalizing on government benefits that incentivize consumers to use alternative energy sources.

Several prominent solar rebate programs have attempted to speed up this positive change. One program reimburses homeowners for outfitting their existing homes with photovoltaics and other alternative heat generation systems. Water heaters powered by solar energy are also deductible. Owners of rental properties can realize tax benefits simply by refitting solar tiles to their housing. Homeowners can also take advantage of a green energy rebate called MASH.

Finally, some companies researching new alternative energy sources now can have access to state and federal grant money to develop better methods of green energy collection.

Should California residents continue to invest their tax dollars on solar infrastructure, education, and technologies? Pure libertarians have criticized these programs, saying that we’d be better off allowing the free market to set prices and determine energy tech winners and losers. On the other hand, supporters point out that a recent solar boom has created tens of thousands of jobs for Californian citizens, and the amount of water needed to cool traditional power plants has dropped. For a state frequently beset by fresh water concerns, this is a huge boon.

Residents have also seen positive environmental effects. The carbon footprint in California has noticeably decreased since the advent of more prominent solar technology. Less air pollution means a drop in the risk of several forms of cancer. Perhaps most importantly, California is becoming a solar leader for the United States, showing the rest of the country how homeowners and investors who take little steps with respect to solar can generate big returns to our society.

Get Help from Bay Area Solar Solutions Experts

For help integrating solar energy into your life to save money or support your business or real estate purchase, contact our solar roofing installations team today at (510) 780-9489 for an estimate.

The shape of your roof is more than a style decision. Roofing impacts the space inside your home, the degree to which your home can stand up to weather, and overall energy savings. Especially if you’re planning on “going solar” now or in the near term future, you want to build or remodel with an appropriate roof design in mind. Here are some pros and cons of 3 unique roofing styles to help you make a more informed remodeling or purchasing decision.

Mansard roofing. This classic style features a pentagon with two slopes on either side of the house, which contrasts with the singular slope of gabled roofing. This type of roof is great for providing extra space above the main floor, but it may create design and engineering challenges if you opt for solar solutions.

Skillion roofing. Skillion roofs are flat roofs where one side has been raised so the structure is on an incline. This type of solution can be used to design a home’s entire roof, or you can use it to highlight one area of a home. A skillion roof works really well when integrated with solar roofing installations, if the flat, angled roof can face substantial sun during the day. All that said, opting for this roofing paradigm can create engineering issues; it may hinder certain house designs and constrain any attic designs.

Hip roofing. Characterized by four sloping sides that come together in the center, hip roofing can also be used in conjunction with an astonishing variety of designs. Instead of meeting at a singular point as 4 triangles, the hip roof has a flat area at the top for the quadrilateral sides to meet.

Interested in remodeling your roof? Contact Century Today!

For more information call the team at Century Roof and Solar (510) 780-9489 we are ready to help you choose the right roof for your home. Whatever your questions may be we have personnel standing by to help you quote your roofing projects.

Solar roofing can cut energy costs and contribute to a more sustainable lifestyle. If you are considering solar power installation, you may be wondering how bad weather will impact the effectiveness of your solar panels. The Bay Area experiences its fair share of foggy and gloomy days; those of us who live here often are forced to field endless questions from our friends and relatives who live elsewhere about our cloudy weather. So what happens to solar power roofing during cloudy or rainy days?

Solar companies have measured the effectiveness of their products in bad weather and have come to peculiar conclusions. While sunny Southern California might seem like the ideal place to set up solar roofing, solar panels actually work better in cooler weather. In fact, San Francisco solar power roofing generates only 1% less energy than Sacramento.

This does not mean bad weather does not have any impact on solar panel efficiency. A light fog causes 8%–15% less electricity output; whereas a heavy fog might decrease efficiency by around 15%–20%. But while cloudy or rainy days impact the amount of energy solar panels produce, you can still make use of the renewable resource of our sun and generate solar powered energy.

Bay Area Roofing Contractors

Century Roof and Solar is a leading solar solution installer and roofing contractor; we can help you cut down on energy cost, protect the planet and improve the value of your home or business property. Are you ready to make the leap to solar energy? Contact us for a solar roofing quote today: 888-233-7548.

Have you been considering installing solar power roofing on your home, but you aren’t sure whether it’s right for you? Here are 10 reasons why it (probably!) is:

1. Simplicity. A quality solar roofing provider will manage all paperwork and answer any questions you have to make the transition as easy as possible.

2. Lower energy bills. With solar energy, monthly electricity bills will be significantly less expensive.

3. Reduced carbon footprint. By reducing or eliminating the use of fossil fuels, your home’s impact on the environment will become negligible.

4. Extra income. Many communities purchase surplus energy generated by private solar power systems.

5. Customization. Whatever your budget, local requirements, or home design, solar solutions exist to meet your needs.

6. Predictability. Not only will your energy bills be lower each month; they will remain consistent throughout the year.

7. Long-term investment. Solar panels aren’t simply a passing fad; expect them to become more popular over the next several years.

8. Affordability. Although going solar used to seem prohibitively expensive, tax breaks, grants, and financing options now make it accessible to more homeowners than ever.

9. Durability. Solar panels are strong and hold up to the elements over time, presenting little to no maintenance or repair costs.

10. Fixed cost. While electricity costs go up over time, the payments on your solar system will remain the same until paid in full.

Hire the Right Solar Roofing Company

To learn more about how a sun-powered system can improve your life, contact Century Roof and Solar – a Bay Area solar company you can trust.

©2014 Century Roof and Solar

Have you been investigating integrated photovoltaics and solar power roofing? If so, you’ve been learning why solar solutions are a big deal. Here are some facts about solar power and the sun that will blow you away:

• The sun is about 1 million times bigger than the Earth; it’s located approximately 93 million miles away. Although the sun is relatively large for a star, it is dwarfed by other more gigantic species of stars. The largest types of stars would stretch all the way to the orbit of Saturn;
• The sun itself is utterly minuscule in comparison with the Milky Way. If the sun were shrunk into a small grain of sand, the Milky Way galaxy (where the sun resides) would be the size of the entire planet Earth.
• In less than an hour and a half, the sun bathes the Earth with enough energy to fuel the entire human race’s energy needs for a full year.
• The sun gets bigger and hotter as it consumes its fuel.
• If you install a 10 kilowatt solar panel, you can generate 17,000 kilowatt hours every year — the equivalent of burning over 27 barrels of oil.
• Integrated photovoltaics have a lot of applications in technology; they’re used in hot water heaters, PV panels, and concentrated solar power apps (for large scale tasks);
• It costs about $4 per watt of capacity to install a solar panel;
• Most panels are not ideally efficient – a common PV panel converts just 15% of the sun’s energy to usable electricity.
• PV applications have led to booming advances in semiconductor material sciences.

Contact the Team at Century Roof and Solar for More About Solar Power

For help creating highly productive solar solutions for your family or building, contact the team at Century Roof & Solar for a free estimate. We can help you with any and all of your solar roofing questions.