Solar shingles go up in Ocean City

Written by Claire Lowe Friday, 10 February 2012 10:44

Shore Solar, a division of Shore Siding Inc., based in Ocean City installs New Jersey’s first solar roofing shingles by CertainTeed Friday morning on the Baybridge Condominiums. OCEAN CITY — New Jersey’s first solar roofing shingles by CertainTeed were installed in Ocean City Friday morning on the Baybridge Condominiums by Shore Solar, a division of Shore Siding Inc., based in Ocean City.

Representatives of CertainTeed Corporation and Shore Siding Inc. were on hand at the complex Feb. 10 as the installation progressed.

“We have a solar system that is a solar roofing project,” Katy Collardson, engineer and technical support representative of CertainTeed, said. “They actually become the waterproofing for the roof.”

The solar installation replaces regular shingles instead of being mounted on top of the shingles like regular solar panels would, Shore Solar tech manager Barry Hodgdon said. There are no racks, but rather the shingles are “integrated” into the roof.

“It’s actually installed by roofers, of course, in conjunction with the electrician,” Collardson said. “This is more aesthetically pleasing and there’s the peace of mind having it installed by a roofing company.”

The technology, developed by CertainTeed, has been tested in Pennsylvania and has had some applications in California and Hawaii, Collardson said.

At the condominium complex facing the bay at the Ninth Street bridge, the shingles will provide power to the common area.

“It’s going to supply a significant source of the power for the common area of the condo association,” Collardson said.

The work is expected to be completed by the end of the day, she said. The installation takes less time than a traditional roof-mounted solar panel installation, but is a little bit more expensive. There is a 30 percent federal tax credit for this type of installation, Collardson said. She pointed out that customers can also benefit from New Jersey’s Solar Renewable Energy Credits through the Office of Clean Energy.

The project installed Friday is a 390-square-foot, 4.3 kilowatt system. Like traditional solar panels, the power collected on the rooftop shingles goes through an inverter to be converted from DC, direct current, to AC, alternating current. Collardson said that the system will continue to produce power for at least 25 years; she said at the 25-year mark, the system should be producing at 80 percent.

While this is the first New Jersey installation for CertainTeed and Shore Solar, Collardson said she hopes it isn’t the last.

“We’re working closely with Shore Solar and have put out a few quotes,” she said.