The roof solar tile, called Volt, was launched globally and announced by Leeson Group, a diverse group of Australian renewable energy companies. The appointment of La Escandella as its distributor outside of Australia, the largest manufacturer of terracotta roof tiles in the world, the launch of Volt will see new export opportunities for Volt to be sold in 85 countries, including Spain, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany. Bristile Roofing will serve as Volt’s roofing partner in Australia.
According to Melbourne-based renewable energy business, Leeson Group and a subsidiary of Volt Solar Tile, the Australian-designed building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) roof tile has the highest wattage of any solar tile on the global market with a maximum power output of 115 W. The Australian-engineered roof solar product has up to 19.3% solar or energy efficiency.
The Lodge, designed to fit common flat concrete roof tiles, and the Planum, modeled like more expensive terracotta tiles, are the two module styles that Volt Solar Tiles will use to target the new house market in Australia and overseas.
The Planum tile is made to suit terracotta tiles produced by La Escandella, while the Volt Lodge solar tile connects with Bristile’s line of concrete roof tiles. The Volt Planum and Lodge mono PERC solar tiles are the first in the world, according to Peter Leeson, Managing Director of Leeson Group and Creator and Director of Volt Solar Tile, to be able to produce as much electricity as a typical solar PV panel.
The 115W MWT mono PERC Planum module offers a very competitive 18.8% efficiency in generation capacity. In contrast, the Volt Lodge 105W MWT mono PERC module is even better, with a solar efficiency of 19.3%.
The solar tiles include a matte-black glass surface, a black aluminium frame, and a built-in cable containment system that removes the need for live cables in the roof. They are each 1.7 m x 0.44 m and 1.65 m x 0.44 m in size and weigh 10 kg. The solar tiles have their drainage channels and gutters and are made to blend seamlessly with other roof tiles.
When placed with its all-black components and a safer built-in interlocking cable containment system, Volt solar tiles produce a seamless appearance on rooftops by utilising a special Metal Wrap Through (MWT) cell technology and a busbar-free design to boost the efficiency of solar cells.
Volt solar tiles are half that of other solar tile systems and a quarter of the price of integrated solar roofs from its competitors. After small-scale technology certificate (STC) deductions, a 5kW Volt system costs $12,000 to install. The solar tiles have already obtained TUV certification, and it is awaiting accreditation from the Clean Energy Council (CEC) for its approved product list. The solar tiles are covered by a 30-year performance warranty and a 15-year product warranty.
