Dow has announced its intentions to “raise the roof” throughout America—elevating it from a utilitarian protective covering for homes to an innovative, cost-effective, energy generating platform that still looks traditionally attractive.

Dow Solar, a division of The Dow Chemical Company, launched U.S. sales of its new Powerhouse Solar Shingle at an event earlier this month in Arvada, Colorado, attended by Governor John Hickenlooper and solar technology advocates. The event was co-hosted by D.R. Horton, a leading national homebuilder that is making a 3-kilowatt (kW) Powerhouse shingle roof a standard feature on 50 new homes in the Spring Mesa community. 

According to Scott Davis, Division President, D.R. Horton-Colorado, “We believe the addition of solar technology will attract new homebuyers to Spring Mesa, who will now have Dow’s innovative Solar Shingles available on one of the most scenic and beautiful communities in the Denver area.”

Dow expects its sales of solar shingles to, ahem, go through the roof —bringing in as much as $10 billion by 2020. The company said there will be substantial benefits for consumers, too. The innovative solar shingles are expected to cost 10 percent to 15 percent less than traditional solar panels, and will be cheaper and quicker to install.

Dow Solar Vice President Jane Palmieri said the introduction of the Powerhouse Solar Shingle into the Colorado market represents an exciting step toward bringing homeowners a solar solution that helps them save money and reduce their carbon footprint without compromising the aesthetics of their home.

The shingles will perform double duty—protecting the roof and generating energy for the homeowner.  Outfitting the average house with a roof covered in solar shingles and an energy converter box will cost about $10,000 to $15,000. However, household energy costs will be 50 percent of previous traditional grid charges, meaning the homeowner will break even on the installation within five to 12 years.

The solar shingles are designed to be installed with typical asphalt shingles and can be attached with standard roofing nails at the same time as the asphalt shingles. The three-part solar roofing system package includes an array of shingles, an inverter and an energy monitoring system. The shingles, custom designed to fit the individual homeowners’ budget and energy goals, are arranged to complement the style and form of the home and roofline. The inverter then converts direct current (DC) produced from the shingles into alternating current (AC), which is then fed to the home’s appliances, or back to the power grid. Finally, a real-time monitoring system provides readouts to homeowners to assess energy usage, production and the amount of excess power flowing back to the grid.

Dow chose Colorado as the first launch market for the Powerhouse Solar Shingle because the state provides the right combination of financial returns and market receptivity to solar.  “Colorado is a national leader in solar energy innovation and job creation. We have the right combination of public sector support, private sector commitment, homeowner interest and an enthusiastic community of builders and installers,” Neal Lurie, executive director of the Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association (COSEIA). “The launch of Powerhouse in Colorado is a significant accomplishment for the state as clean energy once again serves as a catalyst for economic development.”

The shingles are manufactured domestically at Dow’s small-scale facility in Midland, Michigan. Dow also has broken ground on a new, large-scale facility at Dow’s Midland, Michigan, operations site, which the company expects will create up to 1,275 jobs between now and 2015.

After the launch in Colorado, a rollout into markets from California to the East Coast will begin soon. Approximately a dozen states have been targeted for introduction of the product between now and the end of 2012. Dow will ramp up in each market as product quantities increase, and Authorized Dealer networks are put in place. While Dow plans to eventually make the Powerhouse Solar Shingles available more broadly across the U.S., initial launch states have been targeted because they have the best “solar landscape” — ones that currently offer the best combination of financial returns and receptivity to solar.

The Dow Powerhouse Solar Shingles have received seven certifications for product performance and safety including three Underwriters Laboratories (News - Alert) safety certifications for the solar module, fire, and uplift resistance; building code certification from the International Code Council Evaluation Service; International Electrotechnical Commission performance certification; California Energy Commission (News - Alert) List of Eligible Equipment certification; and performance certification of ASTM wind uplift resistance.

“These certifications confirm the significant advantage and peace of mind our product,” said Palmieri. “There never has been a better time to go solar.”