If you own a house and replace your roof, there’s a good chance that your contractor may now ask if you want to include solar power–whether you live in Arizona or, say, North Dakota, where solar has been slower to grow. Standard Industries , the largest roofing company in the world just launched a new startup called GAF Energy that aims to drive adoption of rooftop solar. By targeting roofing customers of Standard Industries U.S. subsidiary GAF, the company believes that it can move faster than other solar installation companies. [Image: GAF Energy] “The scale of the roofing industry is an order of magnitude greater than the solar industry,” says Martin DeBono, president of GAF Energy. “GAF Energy can now give those customers a simple option: a roof or a solar roof.” Customer acquisition is a challenge for other solar installers: Around 5 million homes are re-roofed in the U.S. each year, DeBono says, but fewer than 300,000 get solar power. By offering solar as a standard option when getting a new roof, that could change. The company will sell PV panels that are engineered to install like skylights, so they become a seamless part of the roof, avoiding […]
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