GAF Energy’s new nailable solar shingle factory in Texas is about to make the company the world’s largest solar roofing producer.
The San Jose, California-based company is the sister company of GAF, the largest roofing and waterproofing company in North America. Its 450,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Georgetown, north of Austin, was officially opened last week in a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
GAF Energy built the nailable solar shingle factory in Texas to meet the growing demand for its “world’s first” Timberline Solar Energy Shingle that debuted in January 2022.
The new Texas factory, the company’s second, will bump up its capacity by 500% and bring the total production of its solar shingle to 300 megawatts (MW) annually. It’s expected to employ more than 240 people. GAF Energy’s first factory, in San Jose, California, came online in 2021.
The best time to install solar shingles is when it’s time for a new roof, and GAF’s are warranted to withstand winds up to 130 mph. In April, Timberline Solar was approved by Miami-Dade County’s Product Control Sector as meeting or exceeding the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone requirements of the Florida Building Code standards for safety, wind resistance, and waterproofing.
GAF Energy told Electrek in 2022 that Timberline Solar is about half the cost of a Tesla solar roof and is cost-competitive with rack-mounted solar systems.
In July 2023, GAF Energy conducted a voluntary recall for some solar shingles and related equipment installed from November 2021 to April 2023 due to a fire risk. By early August, the company said that 80% of the affected installations had already been fixed.
Read more: These new nailable solar shingles are installed like a traditional roof
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