White Roof Coatings
Boost Solar Power
Most of the interest in white roofs comes from the heat reflection of the surface, which
reduces energy consumption for cooling.
by Charles W. Thurston, Contributing Writer
Manufacturers of white roof coatings and emulsions have an emerging niche demand from photovoltaic solar power systems that are designed to absorb the albedo,
or reflected light from a flat or low angle roof surface. White sheet
materials generally offer reflectivity efficiency in the range of 80
percent, but some liquid formulators are creating products with 90
percent or higher reflectivity efficiency, which can boost the energy production of attuned solar systems by 20 percent to 30 percent over standard flat panels, industry sources say.
While white sheet manufacturers including Carlisle, Firestone,
GAF and Johns Manville now control the lion’s share of the
white roofing material market. Among materials used for white
sheets are vinyl, EPDM, and the most rapidly growing, TPO or
thermoplastic polyolefin.
28 | Coatings World
www.coatingsworld.com
September 2011
