What Are Solar Shingles?

What solar shingles are

A solar shingle is a roof shingle or tile with solar cells built in. Solar cells turn sunlight into electricity. The shingle is also a real roof covering, so it has to keep out rain, wind and fire like any other.

The trade name for this is building-integrated photovoltaics, or BIPV. Photovoltaic means making electricity from light. Building-integrated means the solar product is part of the building, not added on top. UL describes its BIPV standard, UL 7103, as one that combines all the tests the model codes require for BIPV roofing ².

The 2021 International Residential Code has two sections for these products. R905.16 covers photovoltaic shingles, and R905.17 covers BIPV roof panels ¹. Some products look like shingles. Others look like flat panels set into the roof in place of shingles. Both are BIPV.

How solar shingles make power and keep out water

Each solar shingle has cells on its face. When sun hits them, they make direct current, or DC, electricity. Wires link the shingles together under the roof covering.

The power runs to an inverter, a box that turns DC into the alternating current, or AC, that your home uses. From there it feeds your electrical panel and, if your utility agrees, the grid.

At the same time, the shingles shed water like any shingle. They overlap, and underlayment sits under them. The code says the underlayment rules for asphalt shingles apply ¹.

In areas with strong wind, the code calls for more fasteners in a set pattern ¹.

Regular shingles or tiles often fill the parts of the roof that get little sun, and the two must be flashed together where they meet.

Because one part does two jobs, a solar shingle roof has two sets of rules: roofing rules for the covering, and electrical rules for the wiring.

The diagram splits the roof into its roofing parts and its electrical parts, which is why one job needs both a roofer and a licensed electrician or solar installer.

Types of rooftop solar

Solar shingles are one of three ways to put solar on a home roof. The code treats each differently ¹.

Rack-mounted panels are not a roof covering. The roof under them still needs its own covering.

Solar shingles vs rack-mounted solar panels

These are the main differences. Code points are from the 2021 IRC ¹; the roof-age point is from the Department of Energy ⁴.

Neither choice is right for every home. The deciding questions are usually whether you need a new roof now, and how much the look matters to you.

Worked example: does the code allow solar shingles on three roofs?

Three illustrative roofs checked against the 2021 IRC slope rule ¹. Learn how slope is written on our roof pitch page.

The code sets the floor. The maker's installation instructions also apply, and the code says the shingles must be attached per those instructions ¹. If the maker sets a steeper minimum, that higher number wins.

Where solar shingles make sense

Solar shingles fit best on a home that needs a new roof anyway and has roof faces with good sun.

The Department of Energy says to think about the age of your roof and how long until it needs replacing before you add solar ⁴. With shingles, the solar and the new roof are one job.

Sun matters as much as the roof. DOE says south-facing slopes between 15 and 40 degrees are ideal, though other directions can work ⁴. North faces and shaded faces often get regular shingles instead.

They also suit owners who care about looks, such as in neighborhoods with design rules. The DOE notes it has funded work on ways to make solar blend in with the roof ⁴. Your homeowners association or historic review board may still have a say.

Benefits of solar shingles

• One system, two jobs. The same product is the roof and the power source ¹.
• A low-profile look. They sit in the roof plane instead of on rails above it.
• Tested as a roof. UL 7103 checks fire, impact, wind, wind-driven rain and weather such as heat, humidity and UV ².
• Clear code path. The 2021 IRC has named sections for them ¹.
• Good timing with a reroof. If the roof is due, you avoid installing panels on an old roof that will need replacing soon ⁴.

Limitations of solar shingles

• Two trades. You need roofing skill and electrical skill on the same job.
• Repairs are harder. A leak or a dead shingle may need both a roofer and an electrician.
• Fewer installers. Fewer crews install BIPV than standard panels.
• Slope limit. Not allowed below 2:12 under the code ¹.
• No federal 25D credit for new installs. The IRS says the credit is not available for property placed in service after 31 Dec 2025 ³.
• Matching later. If a product line ends, finding matching spare shingles can be hard.

What drives the cost of solar shingles

We do not quote prices, and we do not promise tax credits. These are the cost drivers. For the roofing part, try the roof cost calculator.

• How much of the roof is solar. More solar shingles mean more power and more cost.
• The product. Brands differ in output, look and listing.
• Tear-off and deck repair. Most jobs start with removing the old roof.
• Electrical work. Inverters, wiring, a possible panel upgrade and permits ⁵.
• Batteries. Optional storage adds equipment and labor.
• Permits and inspections. DOE counts permitting and inspection among the soft costs of solar ⁴.
• Incentives. The federal 25D credit is gone for property placed in service after 2025 ³. Ask your state energy office and utility what, if anything, remains.

How a solar shingle roof is installed

This is what you should see happen. It is not a do-it-yourself guide. Roof work is a fall risk and solar wiring carries live current even in daylight, so licensed pros must do it.

1. A site visit checks sun, roof faces, slope and the condition of the deck and framing.
2. The installer applies for permits. In Arlington County, Virginia, for example, a home solar system needs both an electrical permit and a building permit ⁵.
3. The installer sends an interconnection agreement to the utility ⁵.
4. The roofer tears off the old roof, repairs the deck and lays underlayment ¹.
5. Solar shingles and regular shingles go on, attached per the maker's instructions and flashed where they meet ¹.
6. A licensed electrician or licensed solar installer wires the shingles, inverter and panel connection.
7. The building department inspects the work ⁵. Then the utility does its own check, and you wait for permission to turn the system on.

Caring for a solar shingle roof

• Watch your system's output on the monitoring app or meter. A sudden drop can point to a fault.
• Have the roof looked at after hail or high wind.
• Keep branches trimmed so they do not shade or scrape the roof.
• Do not climb the roof or touch wiring yourself. Call the installer.
• Before any other roof work, tell the roofer it is a solar roof; the power must be shut down safely by a qualified person.
• Keep the product name, listing, permits and warranty papers together.

Warning signs and problems to watch

• Lower power output than usual on sunny days
• Cracked or chipped solar shingles
• Water stains in the attic near where solar and regular shingles meet
• Error lights on the inverter
• Burn marks, buzzing or a hot smell near wiring or the inverter; call a licensed electrician at once
• A seller who promises the federal 25D credit for a 2026 install

Each row is a next step, not a diagnosis; only an installer or electrician on site can confirm a fault.

What the building code and the IRS say

Code rules are from the 2021 IRC, read as adopted in Maryland. Adoption varies by state and city, and the electrical work also falls under your local electrical code.

Sources: [1] [3]

Solar shingles vs other roof coverings

Slopes from 2021 IRC Chapter 9 ¹. See asphalt shingles and metal roofing for those coverings.

Common misconceptions

Myth You can still claim the 30% federal tax credit on a new solar roof.

Reality The IRS says the 25D credit is not available for property placed in service after 31 Dec 2025 ³.

Myth Solar shingles are just thin panels.

Reality They are a listed roof covering under the code, with their own slope and fire rules ¹.

Myth Any roofer can install them.

Reality The roofing part needs a roofer; the wiring needs a licensed electrician or licensed solar installer ⁵.

Myth Solar shingles work on flat roofs.

Reality The code allows them only at 2:12 or steeper ¹.

Myth You can wire them yourself to save money.

Reality Solar wiring is live in daylight. Permits and licensed work are required in most places ⁵.

Local permits, utilities and climate

Your city or county decides which code edition applies and which permits you need. As one example, Arlington County, Virginia requires both an electrical permit and a building permit for home solar, and says the installer must hold a state electrical license ⁵. Your area may differ.

Your utility decides how you connect. In Arlington, the installer sends an interconnection agreement to Dominion Energy, and the utility does its own final check ⁵. Ask your utility about its rules and any credit for power you send back.

Climate matters too. In snowy areas, the roof still needs an ice barrier where the code calls for one. In hail country, ask about the product's impact test, since UL 7103 includes impact ². In wind zones, the code asks for extra fastening ¹.

Are solar shingles right for you?

• Consider them if your roof is due for replacement, you have sunny faces at 2:12 or steeper, and the low-profile look matters to you.
• Consider rack-mounted panels if your roof has years left, or if cost per unit of power matters most.
• Ask every seller for the UL 7103 or UL 61730 listing, the permit plan, and who does the electrical work.
• Do not plan your budget around the federal 25D credit; it has ended for new installs ³.
• If you need the roof first, start with roof replacement.

Keep going

• Roofing materials guideHow solar shingles compare with other coverings
• Roof material selectorWeigh your options
• Roof pitch calculatorCheck your slope against the 2:12 rule
• Find a rooferTalk to a roofer about your roof

Related terms

Roof Replacement

Removing the old roof covering (or recovering it, where allowed) and installing a new one over the whole roof.

Asphalt Shingles

Asphalt shingles are roofing pieces made from a fiberglass mat coated with asphalt and topped with mineral granules, laid in overlapping rows so water runs off the roof.

Metal Roofing

Metal roofing is a roof covering made of metal sheets, panels or shingles, most often steel, aluminum, copper or zinc, fastened to the roof deck to shed water, snow and sun.

Roof Pitch

Roof pitch is the steepness of a roof, written as the inches it rises for every 12 inches it runs horizontally, so a 6/12 roof climbs 6 inches per foot.

Roof Underlayment

Roof underlayment is a sheet laid over the whole roof deck before the shingles or other roof covering go on.

Impact-Resistant Shingles

Impact-resistant shingles are roof shingles that have passed a lab test in which steel balls or ice balls strike the shingle, and earned an impact class from 1 to 4, with Class 4 the highest.

Roof Flashing

Roof flashing is thin, water-shedding material, usually bent metal, installed at the joints of a roof where shingles alone cannot keep water out: along walls, around chimneys and pipes, in valleys and at the roof edges.

Roof Warranty

A roof warranty is a written promise to repair or pay for certain roof failures for a set time.