RGS Energy has partnered with Chinese solar cell and module manufacturer Risen Energy Co., General Polymers Thermoplastic Materials and Creative Liquid Coatings to commercialize the RGS »Powerhouse« 3.0 solar shingle, a system using technology developed by The Dow Chemical Company. According to the company, the »Powerhouse« shingle addresses the needs of residential homeowners with asphalt rooftops, which represent about 85 percent of U.S. homes.

Risen will supply all the solar components and wire harness connectors for »Powerhouse« 3.0. General Polymers Thermoplastic Materials will supply the polypropylene plastic resin for the base assembly of the solar shingles. Creative Liquid Coatings will supply all »Powerhouse« 3.0 molded polymer components fully assembled, with all solar components, wire harnesses and other parts required to deliver a finished product to RGS Energy customers.

In October 2017, RGS Energy has entered into an exclusive license agreement with Dow Chemical for its solar shingles system developed by Dow. In 2008, Dow began research and development of solar shingles designed to be integrated directly into a roof. The first and second generation were based on CIGS (copper indium gallium selenide) technology, and were deployed in more than 1,000 solar installations across 18 US states. The latest generation uses traditional silicon solar cells rather than CIGS technology. This »significantly reduced the cost, while improving panel efficiency,« said RGS in October.