KELLY PICKEREL
PANEL POINTS
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Lumeta’s first peel-and-stick commercial product, shown here installed on the roof of the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix.
New adhesive solar module makes case to ELIMINATE RACKING The best way to bring down the installed cost of a solar system is to
What’s Lumeta’s history?
reduce both the balance of system and labor. A new module attacks both areas with an adhesive, non-penetrating, non-racking system that can be quickly installed by just one person. Publicity around Lumeta’s adhesive, light-weight crystalline silicon solar panel has come in spurts over the last eight years, so you’ll be forgiven if you haven’t heard of the game-changing product. Seen exhibiting at Solar Power International in 2010, Lumeta went back to the drawing board and used its involvement in a SunShot Initiative-funded program to now launch both residential
Davey and the rest of Lumeta’s founders have nearly 30 years’ experience in the commercial roofing business, installing roofing systems through DRI Companies. In 2007, DRI customers approached the team for suggestions on solar systems appropriate for commercial rooftops. “Our customers, especially the big box retailers, began asking us to help them identify solar systems that didn’t have an adverse impact on the additional load increases caused by traditional rack-mounted systems, as well as the numerous penetrations required to install rack-mounted solar systems,” Davey said.
museum’s president touted Lumeta’s “nocompromise” efforts to the roof’s integrity. The panels, first marketed as a BIPV option, had a 400-W peak power rating and 13.8% efficiency. Using DuPont Tefzel front sheets instead of glass, Lumeta panels also eliminated the need for aluminum frames. Back then, they weren’t super light-weight (65 lbs on its 2010 spec sheets), but the lack of 2010 racking supplies definitely contributed to an overall lighter system.
What’s the story behind the new generation modules? The second generation Lumeta modules (LPP-175S and LPP-185T) will launch in Q1 2017. They’ve changed a lot from their initial design— and they’re backed by some solid research. LPP-175S, intended for application over asphalt shingle roofs, was developed in conjunction with the Fraunhofer Center for Sustainable Energy Systems (CSE) through the Plug and Play PV for American Homes program. The program’s objective is to complete a plug-and-play PV system that can be installed in 10 or fewer man-hours by someone without prior solar experience
Our customers, especially the big box retailers, began asking us to help them identify solar systems that didn’t have an adverse impact on the additional load increases caused by traditional rack-mounted systems. and commercial products in 2017. We’re sure solar installers have many questions about Lumeta’s LPP modules—Adhesive? No penetrations? No racking? What? We chatted with Lumeta CEO Timothy Davey to learn more. 26
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Rather than give business to other suppliers, DRI invented the non-penetrating, peel-and-stick Lumeta module. January 2011 saw the first commercial installation of Lumeta’s PowerPly solar panels on the roof of the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix. The www.solarpowerworldonline.com
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