In this video
- FeatherVolt panels weigh about 8 lb each versus 50-60 lb for standard glass panels, making DIY rooftop installs much easier.
- Panels use an ETFE film coating and relocated wiring (moved from front to back) for better heat resistance and efficiency, plus half-cut cells for durability.
- No rails or roof-joist mounting needed; panels sit flush on the shingles, secured with six screws each, and come with the screws, silicone, and tools included.
- Each panel installs in about 5 minutes, compared to a multi-person crew spending a full day on a traditional rail-mounted array.
- Panels are rated 215 watts each; seven panels deliver roughly 1,500 watts, enough to run a solar hybrid mini-split like the MS12.
- Backed by a 5-year guarantee, with buying flexibility to get just the number of panels you need instead of a full pallet from a national supplier.
Questions this video answers
What is FeatherVolt and how is it different from a regular solar panel?
FeatherVolt is Airspool's flexible solar panel, built to solve the weight and shipping problems of standard glass panels. It weighs about 8 lb instead of 50-60 lb, uses an ETFE coating and half-cut cells, and mounts flush to the roof without rails or glass.
Can I install solar panels on an asphalt shingle roof without rails?
Yes. FeatherVolt panels mount directly to asphalt shingle roofs with six screws per panel, so there's no need to leg L-brackets into the roof or attach panels to a rail system first.
How much do flexible solar panels weigh compared to standard glass panels?
FeatherVolt panels weigh about 8 lb each, compared to roughly 50-60 lb for a typical rigid glass panel of similar output, which is a big part of what makes them easier for a DIYer to carry up and mount on a roof.
How many solar panels do I need to run a solar hybrid mini-split?
Seven 215-watt FeatherVolt panels get you to about 1,500 watts, which is the amount Airspool recommends to run a solar hybrid mini-split like the MS12.
Are flexible solar panels durable, and do they come with a warranty?
Airspool's FeatherVolt panels use an ETFE film coating, relocated backside wiring, and half-cut cells designed to hold up over time, and they're backed by a 5-year guarantee.
Do I need to drill into my roof joists to mount solar panels?
No. Because FeatherVolt panels sit flush against the roof surface, wind can't get underneath them, so they don't require the joist-level structural mounting that rail-based rigid panel systems typically need.
How long does it take to install a flexible solar panel?
Dave estimates each FeatherVolt panel takes about 5 minutes to install, compared to a traditional rail-mounted array that took a two- or three-person crew a full day to complete.
Are flexible solar panels more expensive than standard rigid panels?
FeatherVolt panels can run a bit higher per watt than panels from a national or local solar company, but once you factor in the labor, shipping, and mounting-hardware costs of a rail-based install, the total transaction cost tends to come out in FeatherVolt's favor.
Transcript
Read the full transcript
Hey guys, Dave with Airspool here. The challenge for doing solar hybrid mini-splits, or any other DIY solar project, is getting the solar panels. You see these glass panels: they're big, they're heavy, they weigh about 60 lb a piece. They're hard to get on the roof, hard to ship, and pigeons dig them the most.
So we're doing something crazy. We created these flexible panels. And I know what you're thinking, "Oh Dave, flexible panels have a bad reputation." So we put some coatings on here, an ETFE coating. We also did some rework to move the wires that you'd normally see on the front to the back, to make them more resistant to heat and more efficient. And they're all half-cut cells, so they're going to last similar to these. Half-cut cells are also something somewhat novel for flexible panels, and we want these to last. They're designed to last. We're guaranteeing them for 5 years.
There are a lot of advantages to these versus doing panels on rails. With rails, you need to leg into your roof with L-brackets, attach those brackets to your rails, find your roof choice, get the panels attached to your rails, and then lug 50-60 lb panels up to your roof. Different panels come in different sizes and weights, but the same cells that are in these standard panels are in these too, except that ours weigh 8 lb. These are smaller, so they're only 215 watts each. 215 watts times seven gives you the prescribed 1,500 watts to run a solar hybrid mini-split, for instance. Plug-in solar is going to be a big thing coming up, and we see it as the future for a lot of DIY projects.
Right now, to get solar panels from a national company, you might have to buy a whole pallet of 10 or 15 panels when you only need six or seven. So you're paying for more than you want, and that's expensive once you factor in shipping. The price of those panels themselves can be pretty inexpensive, but you have to ship them, and then you end up with a backyard full of panels you need to list on Facebook or Craigslist. If you can find panels locally through Facebook or Craigslist as a DIYer, that's usually good, because there are a lot of newer panels out there. But then where do you get the mounting hardware, and how do you match it up? It's just a lot of friction that we don't want our users to go through.
These panels use six screws per unit, because as you can see, we've doubled them up here. We give you the tools, we give you the screws, we give you the silicone. Each one of these panels takes maybe, I don't know, we'll call it 5 minutes to put in. Compare that to the crew we hired to install a traditional rail-mounted array here, which was two or three people for a full day's worth of work. More panels means more watts, but still, if you just want to get it done, this is going to help you get it done.
These panels are going to cost a bit more per watt than what you'd get from a national or local solar company where you need a truck and a crew. But when you actually look at the total transaction cost of getting panels on your roof and installed, I think you're going to be happy with this solution. And because they're mounted flush right on the roof, wind can't get under them, which is why you don't need to mount them into your roof joists.
So yeah, we've been testing these for a while, and these are the ones we're happy with and are going to be offering. Thanks for your time, and I hope to have you as a client for these real soon.
