Bristile to offer Australian engineered solar roof tile

Leading roofing products manufacturer Bristile is to offer householders a range of Australian engineered – and soon – Australian made solar PV roof tiles.

The Volt solar tiles (pictured) are engineered by the Melbourne building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) developer Leeson Group, and will also be distributed overseas by Spanish roof tile manufacturer La Escandella.

Volt solar tiles integrate with Bristile Roofing’s Terracotta Planum (La Escandella), and concrete Prestige, Premiere and Eton terracotta tile profiles.

With Bristile Roofing holding a significant market share for new home roofing products in Australia, and globally La Escandella distributing roof tiles for over 50,000 homes per year, Volt has an initial potential market of 250MW annually.

Using a unique Metal Wrap Through (MWT) cell technology and a busbar-free design to increase the efficiency of solar cells, Volt solar tiles creates a seamless look on rooftops when installed with its all black components, according to managing Director of Leeson Group and Founder of Volt Solar Tile Peter Leeson.

He said the 115W MWT mono PERC Planum module has an 18.8 percent solar efficiency and the Volt Lodge solar tile 105W MWT mono PERC module has a solar efficiency of 19.4 percent.

Leeson said: “Australian engineered solar technologies are highly regarded around the world and recognised for their innovation and quality.

“Our partnership with Bristile Roofing and La Escandella will allow us to expand our market share in the solar tile industry.

“In the future, Volt solar tiles will be Australian made as we are planning to manufacture our solar tiles in Australia and to produce them at a competitive price.”

Leeson said Volt solar tiles were a quarter the cost of its competitors’ integrated solar roofs and half the cost of other solar tiles systems. A 5kW Volt system costs $12,000 fully installed after rebates.

Commercial Manager of Bristile Roofing Scott Kind said: “The design of a Volt solar tile creates a more elegant and streamlined look for modern homes.

“With Volt, we’re giving homeowners the option to bring clean energy to their homes together with a wide range of beautiful Bristile Roof tiles at an accessible cost.”

Weighing just 10 kilograms, Volt is lighter than a standard solar panel and roof tile and requires less building materials to support its installation.

Volt is awaiting certification from the Clean Energy Council for its approved product list.

Picture: Bristile Roofing