House With A Beautiful Thatch Roof, England, United Kingdom

Newer systems include solar shingles which generate electricity as well as cover the roof. There are also solar systems available that generate hot water or hot air and which can also act as a roof covering. More complex systems may carry out all of these functions: generate electricity, recover thermal energy, and also act as a roof covering.
Solar systems can be integrated with roofs by:
- integration in the covering of pitched roofs, e.g. solar shingles.
- mounting on an existing roof, e.g. solar panel on a tile roof.