The Dow Chemical Company and Underwriters Laboratories announced that the Dow Powerhouse Solar Shingle is the first residential solar roofing shingle with an integrated connection system to receive UL's safety certification.

Underwriters Laboratories is an independent product safety certification organisation that has been testing products and writing standards for safety for more than a century. UL evaluates more than 19,000 types of products, components, materials and systems from more than 66,000 manufacturers each year.

Unveiled in October 2009, the Dow Powerhouse Solar Shingle is a groundbreaking photovoltaic solar panel in the form of a solar roofing shingle that can be integrated into rooftops with standard asphalt shingle materials. It reduces installation time and complexity using a revolutionary system design that eliminates on-roof wiring, minimises through-roof penetrations, and allows the product to be installed in the same manner as a standard roofing shingle.

"The receipt of UL safety certification represents the successful completion of a rigorous and comprehensive multi-test process for the Dow Powerhouse Solar Shingles," said Dow Solar Vice President Jane Palmieri. "This is another important milestone towards the planned 2011 commercialisation of Dow's solar shingles, and represents a crucial third-party validation of the safety of this product. We are dedicated to making solar easy for homeowners, builders, and roofing contractors."

The Dow Powerhouse Solar Shingle from Dow Solar Solutions integrates low-cost, thin-film CIGS (Copper Indium Gallium deSelenide) photovoltaic cells into a proprietary roofing shingle design, which represents a multi-functional solar energy generating roofing product. The innovative product design reduces installation costs because the conventional roofing shingles and solar generating shingles are installed simultaneously by roofing contractors.

DSS expects an enthusiastic response from roofing contractors since no specialised skills or knowledge of solar array installations is required. Its advantages include affordability and lower system cost, improved aesthetics, easier installation and long-lasting performance.

The solar shingle systems were made available in limited quantities in mid-2010 and projected to be more widely available in 2011, putting the power of solar electricity generation directly and conveniently in the hands of homeowners.