Leeson Group, a group of Australian renewable energy companies, has launched Volt, an Australian-engineered roof solar tile.

The launch of Volt coincides with the appointment of Bristile Roofing as the roofing partner of Volt in Australia and La Escandella, the world’s largest terracotta roof tile manufacturer as its global distributor outside of Australia, opening new export opportunities for Volt to be sold in 85 countries including Spain, United States, United Kingdom and Germany.

Volt solar tiles integrate with Bristile Roofing’s Terracotta Planum (La Escandella), and concrete Prestige, Premiere and Eton profiles. With Bristile Roofing holding a significant market share for new home roofing products in Australia, and globally La Escandella distributing roof tiles for over 50,000 homes per year, this will provide Volt with an initial potential market of 250MW annually.

Using a unique Metal Wrap Through (MWT) cell technology and a busbar-free design to increase the efficiency of solar cells, Volt solar tiles create a seamless look on rooftops when installed with its all-black components and a safer built-in interlocking cable containment system.

The Volt Planum and Lodge solar tiles are the world’s first ones that can generate the equivalent amount of energy as a standard solar panel. The 115W MWT mono PERC Planum module has a market-leading 18.8% solar efficiency and the Volt Lodge solar tile 105W MWT mono PERC module has a solar efficiency of 19.4%.

Weighing just 10kg, Volt is lighter than a standard solar panel and roof tile and requires fewer building materials to support its installation. This translates to a more sustainable rooftop solar system as fewer emissions are created with the building of a new home.

“Australian engineered solar technologies are highly regarded around the world and recognised for their innovation and quality,” Leeson Group managing director and Volt Solar Tile founder and director Peter Leeson says.

“Our partnership with Bristile Roofing and La Escandella will allow us to expand our market share in the solar tile industry. In the future, Volt solar tiles will be Australian-made as we are planning to manufacture our solar tiles in Australia and produce them at a competitive price.

Volt solar tiles are a quarter the cost of its competitors’ integrated solar roofs and half the cost of other solar tiles systems. A 5kW Volt system costs $12,000 fully installed after STC rebates.

“With Volt, we’ve made solar tiles affordable and accessible for homeowners who want clean and affordable energy to power their homes. At the same time, Volt meets the aspirations of homeowners who want to invest in a quality and sustainable rooftop solar system that is safe and built to last in the harsh climate conditions that we face,” Peter explains.

Volt is TUV certified and is currently awaiting certification from the Clean Energy Council for its approved product list. It is backed with a 30-year performance warranty and a 15-year product warranty.