PV Slates work seamlessly with natural slates for the most discrete and attractive solar roofs - ever

PV Slates combine seamlessly with natural blue-grey slates to make solar power from a traditional-looking roof. They are both lighter and stronger than traditional slates, yet can work alongside them to be cost effectively fitted on any new slate roof.

Manufactured in Wales, PV Slates have been designed and independently tested to withstand the extremes of the UK’s weather, made of toughened glass, marine grade aluminium and stainless steel.  Every PV Slate comes with a 25 year warranty on product, solar performance and weatherproofing.

With hundreds of installations around the UK and popular with Local Authority planning departments, PV Slate is the perfect solution if you want quality materials for your building project.

PV Slate brochure

PV Slate Pricing

The standard 500x250 PV Slate unit has a peak output of 28W.  Each 500x250 unit replaces four natural 500x250 slates, covering an area of 0.2sqm.  A 4kW system with SolarEdge inverter and optimisers would have a typical installed cost from around £11,600 with 0% VAT.  

That's about one and a half times the cost of a cheaper system with large solar panels & optimisers, allowing for the savings where PV Slates replace other roofing materials.  When it comes to the look and value of your property, cheapest is not always best.  With PV Slates you end up with a house that looks elegant yet has the energy and carbon benefits of solar.  

PV Slates can be installed by GB-Sol or your roofer (still wired by GB-Sol and fitted under our supervision) at a similar speed and cost as the natural slates they replace.  VAT is currently 0% for all UK domestic solar and battery installations.

Solar slates and tiles - buyer's guide

PV Slates are the only solar products that actually look like slates currently certified by the MCS scheme. You can search the MCS product database for the words such as “slate” or “tile” to see the status of equivalent products. Solar products require MCS certification for smart meter export tariffs and to reduce the building’s EPC rating.

When purchasing solar slates or tiles, consider the warranty length offered and the materials used.  Some products only offer 10 year warranties, which would not really be acceptable for any other sort of roofing product.  Products which rely on plastics, adhesives or flexible solar cells will all have a reduced life-expectancy.

 

PV Slate - blended with natural slates

Note that PV Slates need a border of natural or infill slates, so you need to account for about 0.5m of border around all edges, roof windows and other penetrations when calculating the available area for power generation.  Check our FAQs for the best colour matches.

PV Slate - edge-to-edge

PV Slate looks even more amazing when taken edge-to-edge by using the same materials to make the surrounding “infill” slates. You would never know it wasn’t a natural slate roof.  Infills can be quickly made in our factory north of Cardiff, to keep your programme on track.

PV Slate Case Studies

PV Slate - West Berkshire re-roof

PV Slate - Nansledan, Cornwall

PV Slate - Spinkhill, near Sheffield

PV Slate - West Berkshire workshop

PV Slate – Wimbledon re-roof in a conservation area

PV Slate – Georgian re-roof in Oxfordshire

View More Case Studies

PV Slate - FAQs

We recommend choosing the lightest grey *6mm thick* slates available in the range that you prefer.  The best matches we have seen to date are with the Cupa 12, Siga 37, Siga 39, Gallegas 37 & Gallegas 39, and the Cupa H3.  Other blue-grey slates including Welsh Cwt y Bugail (not Heather Blue), Cornish Delabole and La Concha will also blend well.  Natural slates with the words dark grey or black in their descriptions will contrast quite strongly with PV Slates.

Yes, the PV Slate received MCS accreditation in 2018. Contact us to discuss why this might be important for your project.

Each PV Slate weighs between 3.0-3.9kg depending on model. This means it weighs less than the natural slates it replaces so does not increase loading on the property or require any remedial strengthening, which is good news for listed buildings.

PV slate was specifically designed to help people in all restricted planning areas gain planning permission. Check the details with your local planning authority and we’re happy to assist where we can.

PV Slate can be fitted to pitches typically as low as 27.5 degrees. However, contact us and we will advise on the correct PV Slate product for your roof pitch and location.

PV Slate 600x300 is compatible with natural slates of 600x300x6mm (24”x12”).

PV Slate 500x300 is compatible with natural slates of 500x300x6mm (20”x12”).

PV Slate 500x250 is compatible with natural slates of 500x250x6mm (20”x10”).

Please send your architect’s drawings to us in an email to info@gb-sol.co.uk and we’ll be happy to calculate how many PV slates your roof can accommodate. If you don’t have these, please provide your roof dimensions and we’ll produce an estimate.

PV Slate 600x300: 4.2 per m2

PV Slate 500x300: 5.5 per m2

PV Slate 500x250: 5.0 per m2

As natural slates need to surround the PV slates, please contact us for an accurate number of PV slates your roof can accommodate.

As PV Slate is an electrical product, there needs to be a border of two natural slates around the edges of the roof and any roof windows.  We can make passive "infill" PV Slates to complete the surround for a perfect finish and a roof that no one would believe was solar.

GB-Sol has been at the forefront of solar panel and mounting system design for nearly 30 years.

We are proactive in reviewing our designs and ensure a culture of continuous improvement in methods, materials and testing. Global solar and construction accreditation bodies are used to test and certify our solar panels and mounting systems.

In independent fire tests, GB-Sol’s PV Slates achieved EXT.S.AA, the highest possible rating under BS 476-3: 2004 - Roof Fire Test. Testing also confirmed passes for the CEN/TS1187:2012 Test4. AA (national class) is equivalent to Broof(t4) (European class), the highest class and the only classification allowed to span full roofs and the compartmentation of buildings.

The carbon payback of a PV Slate unit is estimated to be 5.2 years, based on the UK grid carbon intensity in 2022.  PV Slates have a 25 year warranty on both solar performance and waterproofing.

An independent study (compliant with PAS 2050;2011) estimated that a single PV Slate unit had a carbon footprint of 19.38kgCO2e.

Each unit has a rated output of 28W and is expected to produce in excess of 500kWh over its 25 year warranty period, assuming it is not shaded or north facing.  That gives a PV Slate carbon footprint per unit of output of 39gCO2e per kWh.

The UK electricity grid mix in 2022, the lowest carbon year ever excluding Covid in 2020, had a carbon intensity of 182gCO2e per kWh.  On that basis, the carbon footprint of PV Slate would be paid back in the first 106kWh of its solar output, which would be generated in less than 5.2 years of its warrantied 25 year life.

Contact us to discuss tile/fibre cement slate compatibility.

Why choose GB-Sol?

Excellence in engineering & durability

Our solar slates and solar roof products are manufactured using toughened glass, marine-grade aluminium & stainless steel, and are independently tested & certified.  Our products are more extensively proven than those of any of our competitors, globally.

Decades of unmatched experience

With 30 years of pioneering experience in solar power technology, GB-Sol stands as a beacon of innovation.  We own our own factory and have an extensive portfolio of projects that demonstrate the value of our 25 year warranties.

Complete installation service

We install as well as manufacture, to ensure the quality, longevity and safety of the systems installed.  Our Projects team are very experienced in dealing with both new-build projects and retrofits, in processes that are regularly audited for quality and integrity.  We are well-resourced with installation teams and surveyors across Great Britain to ensure good communication and local support.

Sustainability at heart

We keep our suppliers local wherever possible, minimise waste &  packaging and run our premises on solar power, topped up with a 100% green electricity supply.  We are the top-rated solar panel manufacturer according to Ethical Consumer magazine and have been for many years.

When you choose GB-Sol, you are choosing safety, reliability, durability and sustainability.

About Us
Contact Us