UNI-SOLAR Brand Photovoltaics to Power New Residential Solar Roof Pilot Program With NJR Home Services

United Solar, a leading global manufacturer of building-integrated and rooftop photovoltaics under its UNI-SOLAR brand – and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Energy Conversion Devices – announced an agreement with NJR Home Services (NJRHS), an unregulated subsidiary of New Jersey Resources, to provide two of its solar module product lines for a residential pilot program in New Jersey.

This pilot program will highlight many firsts – the most prominent being that for the first time in the U.S. marketplace, homeowners can utilize a solar product on their roof that is fully integrated into the existing asphalt shingle patterns for optimal aesthetic blending. Until now, options have been limited to glass-covered crystalline or heavy, framed panels that require footing penetrations into the roof deck or that stick up above the roofline. This pilot program marks the national launch of UNI-SOLAR’s new PowerShingle that will be installed on family homes, as well as CertainTeed Corporation’s product EnerGen that uses UNI-SOLAR modules.

“This pilot program is a real-world opportunity to showcase two new solar products for residential homes,” said Mark Morelli, president and CEO of United Solar’s parent company, Energy Conversion Devices. “Both products provide solar module aesthetics that overcome some of the largest objections to residential solar panels to date. This program will be an outstanding field test for UNI-SOLAR as we work with roofing contractors and residential end-users.”

NJRHS will install UNI-SOLAR’s integrated PV modules on about 30 residential homes as part of its solar lease program that helps to make clean, renewable energy more accessible to customers. Through the program, NJRHS covers the upfront installation and maintenance costs, which can cost tens of thousands of dollars, and then leases the solar panels to homeowners for $8.66 per kilowatt installed.

The average size system for the pilot program is expected to be three-kilowatts with a lease payment price of $26 per month over a 20-year period. That monthly rate is fixed over the life of the lease. Customers will realize savings immediately following the connection of the system to the electric utility’s meter, which should begin to happen by the close of the year. The average residential customer is expected to save approximately $50 per month – more than $10,000 in electric costs over the life of the lease according to NJR calculations – all while generating clean, reliable power for their home.

“NJRHS launched its solar lease program to provide customers with an opportunity to affordably access renewable energy for their homes,” said Stan Kosierowski, president, NJR Home Services, NJR Plumbing Services, and NJR Clean Energy Ventures. “We understand that our customers’ homes are their most important investment. With UNI-SOLAR’s cutting edge solar product line, we are now able to offer them a choice when it comes to maximizing that investment. With its aesthetic appeal and lightweight features, this new integrated system will also enable us to reach more customers.”

UNI-SOLAR will work with NJRHS and partner Advanced Green Technologies of Fort Lauderdale, FL, to decide which new solar product, PowerShingle or EnerGen, will go on each roof. The new roof and re-roofing market is estimated at more than four million homes per year in the U.S.

“Far and away the consistent message we’ve heard from homeowners for decades is that until residential solar options are aesthetically pleasing and blend into their homes’ current roofline, they will not have it installed, or at best will limit solar to the backside of their home,” Morelli said. “Now with PowerShingle and CertainTeed’s EnerGen, we’ve solved homeowners’ main visual objections and they can say, ‘finally, solar for the front of the home’.”

Thanks to UNI-SOLAR’s extremely lightweight and very flexible modules, engineers have integrated solar into the same size and shape of traditional asphalt shingles that lay just as flat. For additional upfront savings, PowerShingle can be installed in the same manner as current roofing products because the modules are glass-free and encapsulated in UV-stabilized, weather-resistant polymers that hold up against Category 3 hurricane winds, hail and other heavy impacts – while continuing to provide excellent performance and protection for the inside of the home.

The EnerGen system, powered by UNI-SOLAR, is a lightweight design that also requires no rooftop penetrations, making it easy for roofing contractors to install while maintaining roof deck integrity. The laminates lie flush with the remainder of the traditional asphalt roofing shingles, providing a streamlined, visually-appealing appearance.