Last year, we reported on the development of solar roofing tiles which can take the place of asphalt based roofs and do double duty. But in California, many of the roofs use clay tiles which are layered onto another and give a Spanish style hacienda look. So, while solar tiles have been an intriguing (but sadly, not very efficient) solution to generating solar power, a great many in the Southwest couldn’t embrace the technology. Then came along the Solé.

Made by SRS Energy and available through US Tile, these clay tile looking solar panels are the first curved roof tiles designed for southwestern homes which offer the solar power options. Power wise, a 30 tile section, which has a 3 inch overlap and 14 inch exposure area, can generate 860 kilowatts her hour during a 6 hour solar exposure.

And it seems that SRS has improved the efficiency issue a bit as these tiles are claimed to provide between eight and twenty percent more solar energy than the crystalline silicon panels reported on last year.

And the tiles are independent so that if one tile goes down, the whole system stays generating. Installation comes with SRS monitoring your tiles to make sure they stay healthy and generating power at their maximum output.

The tiles are currently undergoing testing in Philadelphia, but are available through both the SRS and US Tile websites.

Hat Tip – GizMag