For homeowners

Solar shingles vs solar panels: which fits your home?

Choose a solar shingle roof for a home that is getting a new roof anyway; a solar panel system for a wide choice of companies that install it. The right choice depends on whether the roof is due to be replaced, how many companies near you install each kind, and how much the look of the roof matters to you.

How we know: By InstaBids editorial team with AI research agents. · Sources read: 17 October 2026 · Updated 27 October 2026

DOE's summary of its building-integrated PV request for information (2022) lists solar shingles among the roofing products pursued in the United States; the solar shingle column cites building-integrated and roofing-integrated PV sources
Factor	A solar shingle roof	A solar panel system
Where the solar sits	NREL (2023): in roofing-integrated PV, the PV product is incorporated into or replaces the roofing material	DOE page (undated; first published 2023): in traditional rooftop solar, PV modules are mounted over an existing roof
A home that is getting a new roof anyway	NREL (2023): installed during a reroof, roofing-integrated PV can make two upgrades in less time than doing them separately	DOE page (undated; first published 2016): in some cases, rooftops may not be suitable for solar systems due to age or tree cover
Installation time on the roof	NREL (2023) estimate from California installs: about 2.4 working days to install roofing-integrated PV during a reroof	NREL (2023) estimate from an older study: about 2.6 working days for a typical conventional rooftop PV system
A wide choice of companies that install it	NREL (2023): in 2020, only around 10 companies installed residential building-integrated PV systems	NREL (2023): in 2020, nearly three thousand companies installed conventional residential rooftop PV systems
How it looks on the house	DOE (2024): building-integrated PV is an aesthetically pleasing way for building owners to transition to renewable energy	DOE (2024): rooftop solar panels are rectangular, glass modules placed neatly over the roofs of homes
How common it is on homes	NREL (2023): residential building-integrated PV market share grew to about 0.4% in 2021	NREL (2023): residential building-integrated PV uptake is about an order of magnitude smaller than in the conventional rooftop PV market

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If your priority is...
Priority	Choose
a home that is getting a new roof anyway	A solar shingle roof
a wide choice of companies that install it	A solar panel system

What does rooftop solar panel cost?

For rooftop solar panel prices, see How much will solar panels cost?

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Sources for the facts on this page

National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Observations and Lessons Learned From Installing Residential Roofing-Integrated Photovoltaics (NREL/TP-6A20-85230, March 2023), national laboratory, read 22 October 2026.
U.S. Department of Energy, Solar Energy Technologies Office, Dual-Use Photovoltaic Technologies, government, read 22 October 2026.
U.S. Department of Energy, Expanding Solar Energy Opportunities: From Rooftops to Building Integration (January 2024), government, read 22 October 2026.
U.S. Department of Energy, Summary: Challenges and Opportunities for Building-Integrated Photovoltaics RFI, government, read 22 October 2026.
U.S. Department of Energy, Homeowner's Guide to Going Solar, government, read 17 October 2026.