Lumeta’s “peel & stick” solar panels can blanket a roof in under 35 minutes

Lucy and I are of one mind that if/when we have a house together, we’re going to try to go solar, maybe wind, too, if we can make it work. A lot of states are offering tax breaks for individual homeowners who go solar.

I think a product like this, while not a total revolution in solar power, will be a nice step towards ubiquitous solar panels. See, if you can hire a roofer to install the panels themselves and only require specialists for hooking up to the grid, that will save a great deal of money and difficulty.

(ps blue_lucy, this title’s for you)

~ by Skennedy on May 12, 2008.

Posted in Uncategorized

22 Responses to “Lumeta’s “peel & stick” solar panels can blanket a roof in under 35 minutes”

  1. Solar, wind, hydro and geothermal are all fantastic options.

    With solar panel prices coming down in just the past few months, it’s finally becoming a viable option.

    Wind power is still the best choice in Michigan (or other northern states without much sun) but the price is still steep.

    urbanwuff said this on May 12, 2008 at 5:12 pm

  2. The state of MA will pay half the cost of solar panels if you have them installed. I keep telling my parents to do it – ease of installation may tip them over into making a decision!!!

    I don’t think Andy & I could talk our landlord into doing it… and we’ll be renting for some time to come. Sigh!

    minkrose said this on May 12, 2008 at 5:42 pm

  3. My mom has a windmill for their house. They use a back up generator when the wind power isn’t high enough. They are off the grid.

    disarray2 said this on May 12, 2008 at 5:43 pm

  4. Here’s some new Israeli solar cell research I read about the other day (albeit in a completely different publication):
    http://www.eetimes.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=207403402

    morbid_curious said this on May 12, 2008 at 5:50 pm

    • Pretty sweet, we’ll see what comes of that in a few years.

      Some of those other methods, for instance solar cells that can be created with something akin to an inkjet printer, are also amazing steps. If there is one thing about the contemporary world that I’m pleased at, it is the incredible advances of alternative power sources coming to fruition now.

      FINALLY.

      atdt1991 said this on May 12, 2008 at 5:59 pm

      • Given how little corporate and governmental research money has been going into them over the last few decades, it’s really heartening to see them getting more serious attention.

        In semi-related news, I read the other day that AgResearch here in New Zealand is looking at ways of cracking cellulose into something a little more useful as a fuel source using some kind of enzymatic means. While that’d still leave us with emissions concerns, steps like that may be promising for weaning ourselves off heavy petrochemical dependency while we look for other, cleaner power sources in the long term.

        I’ve always felt fairly privileged to live in a country that has over 60% of its power generated by renewable (mostly hydroelectric, some geothermal, a little wind) sources. Of course, that doesn’t mean that we should rest on our laurels and not bother trying to do better. Especially since we already run into some problems in drought years, and with increasing population and electricity demands…

        morbid_curious said this on May 12, 2008 at 6:26 pm

  5. awesome, adam just tried to post about those too. he fails at html though i guess :) those things are awesome, and i would totally get them on my house too.

    t0astbandit said this on May 12, 2008 at 6:02 pm

  6. A lot depends on your site, but the renewable energy folks up here tell me that wind and solar can be a really good compliment to each other up here in the north. In the winter, when your solar panels are doing a feeble job of pushing the electrons, the wind is usually blowing more strongly.

    The other thing to consider (also strongly site-dependent) is micro-hydro. Unlike wind and solar, water usually flows 24/7/365. If your site has a small stream running through it, you may just have found more than enough clean energy to run your home.

    shadowspar said this on May 12, 2008 at 6:04 pm

    • Interesting stuff, thanks for the links. My city’s on an alluvial flood plain and has a couple of small rivers and numerous creeks running through the metropolitan area. There should be any number of places where they could divert a little water and generate some local electricity, especially in times of heavy rain. I might make suggestions to some people…

      morbid_curious said this on May 12, 2008 at 8:16 pm

  7. Very cool. Want now.

    sheryl67 said this on May 12, 2008 at 6:23 pm

  8. SWEET!

    jenx said this on May 13, 2008 at 2:00 am

  9. The NEED for clean Energy

    That’s the first I’ve seen of these.. TY for posting, Man :)
    I knew roof “tiles” were in development, but I thought
    it was more like making sections of your existing roof
    into PV cells..

    I’ve been tinkering with DC and Solar for the last
    couple years as well.. Wind has slightly more
    potential in terms of cost, if you’re looking for
    complete OTG, but I’ve just been trying to
    get the electrician chops not to fry myself
    in anything large scale.. :))

    I’m gonna be posting a couple clean energy ideas
    big and small that have been picking at the back of
    my brain for a long time, pretty soon.. Like to get
    your feedback when they come around.. :))

    Cheers,
    chuck

    lukacsart said this on May 15, 2008 at 9:40 pm

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