Slate-Style Roofing With Embedded Batten Wiring for Solar Panels
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing roof-mounted solar panel systems are unsightly and not easily integratable with slate-style roofing, lacking flexibility in installation and expansion, which hinders their adoption due to aesthetic and installation challenges.
Innovation Solution
A modified TruSlate roofing system incorporating modified battens with integrated wiring and electrical components, allowing for the installation of solar panels that match the size and appearance of slate shingles, connected to form an electrical transmission grid, enabling easy integration and expansion of solar energy collection without altering the roof's appearance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If traditional slate shingles are installed with nails driven through holes, then the roofing system is simple to install, but the external weight requires enhanced framing and causes cracking of the brittle slate material
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the slate shingle, mounting mechanism, and electrical wiring into a single integrated unit. The batten is embedded within the slate shingle itself, eliminating the need for separate mounting hardware that would require drilling holes through the brittle material. This integration resolves the contradiction by providing both installation simplicity and material integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The slate shingle serves multiple functions: it provides weather protection, structural support, and electrical connectivity. The batten within the shingle acts as both a structural mounting element and an electrical conductor, allowing the same component to fulfill multiple roles without compromising the slate's integrity or requiring additional penetration of the material.
2Productivity
If solar panels are mounted in separate arrays on the roof, then electrical energy collection is efficient, but the panels appear unsightly and do not blend with the roof architecture
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the solar panel function with the roofing material itself. The slate shingles are made photovoltaic, so the roofing material simultaneously provides weather protection and generates electrical energy. This eliminates the visual contrast between separate solar arrays and the roof, as the entire roof surface becomes the energy-generating element.
Solution Approach 2:
The slate shingle is transformed into a multi-functional element that provides both traditional roofing protection and solar energy generation. By making the roofing material itself photovoltaic, the system eliminates the need for separate solar panel installations, thereby maintaining aesthetic continuity while preserving electrical energy collection productivity.
3Shape
If solar panels are installed to match the size of slate shingles, then the aesthetic appearance is improved, but the electrical transmission grid becomes more complex to install
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the electrical wiring with the structural batten component. The batten, which is already integrated into the slate shingle for mechanical support, also serves as the electrical conductor. This dual-function design simplifies the electrical transmission grid installation, as the wiring infrastructure is already embedded in the roofing material rather than requiring separate complex wiring installations.
Solution Approach 2:
The batten component performs both mechanical and electrical functions. It provides structural support for the shingle while simultaneously serving as the electrical conductor for transmitting power from photovoltaic elements. This multi-functionality reduces the overall system complexity by eliminating the need for separate wiring infrastructure.
4Ease of operation
If modified battens with integrated wiring are used, then solar panels can be easily connected to form an electrical transmission grid, but the batten design becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the batten's structural and electrical functions into a single integrated component. The wiring is embedded within the batten structure itself, so the same element that provides mechanical support also provides electrical connectivity. This integration simplifies panel connection operations while the apparent design complexity is offset by the multi-functionality of the unified component.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system provides a visually integrated solar energy collection system that is easily installed, expanded, and maintained, blending seamlessly with slate-style roofing while ensuring efficient electrical energy collection and distribution.
Implementation Method 1
solar panels that are building integrated with a slate style roof... Individual solar panels are sized to match the size of slate shingles... connected to the electrical transmission grid by being connected to the wiring carried by an adjacent batten
Data Source
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AI summary
A roofing system includes battens and hangers for installing slate roofing shingles on a roof. Electrical conductors and other electronics are incorporated into the battens and the battens are connected together to form an electrical transmission grid beneath the shingles. Solar panels are installed in place of slate shingles in some locations on the roof and are configured to match or complement the surrounding slate shingles. Each solar panel includes a connector that connects the solar panel to the electrical transmission grid. The grid thus collects the electrical energy generated by ail of the solar panels and delivers it for storage or use in a home. Microinverters may be coupled to smaller groups of the solar panels for converting their DC voltage to AC voltage and the outputs of the microinverters connected to a remote location for use or storage.