The project is the conception and development of a new solar tile or slate able to be easily integrated in a slanted building roof. The new Swisstile that SES has designed has several new features compared to the previous model: - it uses a set of 6 cells of a new generation with back contacts, providing a higher output per tile (18 W instead of 12)- it provides a uniform dark color thanks to the back contact cells,- the cells are soldered with a proprietary process of SES making the module as thin as possible so that it comes easily glued on top of a standard tile,- the junction box has been designed to be completely integrated in the thickness of the module.- the connection between 2 solar slates has been greatly simplified and makes use of regular PV cables as small as possible.

Swisstile is a totally integrated PV module. It replaces a tile or a slate, retains the same characteristics and benefits since the module is glued to a regular tile, but produces electricity !

All owners of houses or buildings with slanted roof where the black aspect of slates is allowed. It makes millions of homes around the world !

individuals: they become a solar electricity producers and can earn money out of this production in some countries for the moment to pay back their investment.society: new skills, new techniques will provide new jobs locally to produce, distribute or install the tileseconomy: the economy will benefit from a new clean business with modules that can easily been transportedenvironment: it is a solar PV module producing electricity during more than 25 or 30 years without CO2 !

IPotential clients need to get to products that can match their aspiration. The Swisstile is such a cleantech product. Government in several countries want the solar PV to be integrated in buildings enveloppe: the Swisstile offers this feature by nature. International organizations can make use of the Swisstile on the roofs of their buildings and promote the BIPV (building integrated PV) since products such as the Swisstile are available.

individuals: individuals having a 50 m2 roof can install a 3 kW Swisstile roof and produce more than 3'500 kWh of solar electricty per year in mid Europe. All the household demand of one year for domectic appliances !society: the aspect of integrated PV will make it straightforwad to adopt more and more solar energy production roofs since it is just integrated and not so visible. this will eliminate discussion about the aesthetics of solar panels !economy: quantitative effect will be to help the sales of PV modules, qualitative will be to move faster to a vision of clean energy production (to a modest level however due to all political brakes against renewable energies)environment: each Swisstile is rated 18W. It can deliver 22 kWh of clean solar electricity per year in mid Europe and twice as much in the sun belt around the world.

all the advantages of solar energy (clean, renewable, decentralised, locally installable, replacable, no waste, long lasting, easy to repair, etc..) + integration (no impact !).

If the society gets used to integrated solar solutions, it will ask for more since the high investment cost is the only drawback. And rising energy prices and environmental taxes and decreasing Swisstile prices by selling in numbers will bring the tiles more and more cost effective.