RGS POWERHOUSE Solar Shingles (Archived)

Archived product: RGS Energy ceased operations and Real Goods Solar, Inc. entered Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2020. POWERHOUSE 3.0 is not a current RGS offering. This page is retained for historical reference. Former sales, installer-enrollment, contact, and warranty-service information is no longer current.

Product and Company History

The photovoltaic effect was observed in 1839. In 1954, Bell Labs researchers demonstrated the first practical silicon solar cell capable of powering everyday equipment. The U.S. Department of Energy provides more context in its history of photovoltaic deployment.

Real Goods Solar traced its business to 1978. Dow later developed the original POWERHOUSE building-integrated photovoltaic roofing product. RGS acquired an exclusive license from Dow and developed POWERHOUSE 3.0. In a 2018 investor presentation, RGS said more than 1,000 POWERHOUSE systems across product generations had been installed nationwide. That was a dated company claim, not a current installed-base count.

Historic POWERHOUSE 3.0 Specifications

POWERHOUSE generations did not use the same photovoltaic technology. Earlier products used copper indium gallium selenide, or CIGS, thin-film cells. An RGS presentation filed with the SEC in 2018 described POWERHOUSE 3.0 as using half-cut mono-PERC silicon cells and targeted 55–65 watts per shingle. The filing does not support the old description of amorphous silicon or a 10–75-watt range.

Rated watts, roof-system capacity in kilowatts, and annual generation in kilowatt-hours are different measures. Output depends on the number of active shingles, orientation, pitch, shading, temperature, inverter design, system losses, weather, and local solar resource. Do not compare an integrated solar roof with rack-mounted panels without product-specific ratings and an independently modeled annual-energy estimate.

Grid Outages and Backup Power

A grid-connected solar roof normally shuts down during an outage for safety. Backup power requires a system designed for islanding, typically with a compatible inverter and battery storage. Solar shingles do not store electricity by themselves. The U.S. Department of Energy explains these limits in its solar and resilience guidance.

Bill Savings and Export Compensation

Export compensation and bill savings depend on utility rules, tariffs, system size and orientation, shading, household use, financing, maintenance, and storage. Customers may receive bill credits rather than a check. The former article’s 35–60% bill-reduction and 5–10-year payback ranges were not supported by a dated scenario and should not be used to estimate a current project.

Environmental Scope

Solar photovoltaic systems generate electricity without direct combustion emissions during operation. Manufacturing, transport, installation, maintenance, and end-of-life still have lifecycle impacts. Avoid applying old carbon, tree, or driving equivalencies unless they are recalculated with a current method and a stated electricity-grid region.

Tax Incentives

Current IRS guidance says the Residential Clean Energy Credit is unavailable for expenditures made after December 31, 2025. State, local, and utility programs vary. Verify current eligibility and tax treatment through official sources, including the IRS Residential Clean Energy Credit page, before relying on an incentive.

Historic Warranty Terms

An RGS filing with the SEC in 2019 described an 11-year product warranty and a 24-year power-production warranty for POWERHOUSE 3.0. Those were the company’s published terms at that time, not a guarantee that service remains available.

RGS later entered Chapter 7, so owners should not assume that the former company can provide warranty service. Legacy owners can review the original installation contract, contact the installer or insurer, and consult current bankruptcy or claim records. The Real Goods Solar bankruptcy case summary identifies the 2020 filing. This page does not provide legal advice or a current claims contact.