Putting solar panels on the roof is increasingly realistic for the average homeowner, but they tend to be specialized, aftermarket affairs or else whole-roof replacements. GAF Energy, a division of the roofing giant, claims its new solar shingles are simple enough to install that no special equipment or knowledge is required, making home renewable energy that much more accessible.

Solar shingles are not themselves new, but tend to be a bit more complicated of an installation than just riveting a panel to the roof with a few inches of space underneath. Instead, they replace the shingles themselves, acting as both roofing material and solar panel array.

Many of our readers will be familiar with Tesla's foray into this space, the imaginatively named Solar Roof, which uses solar shingles but, like others, needs a special team and is basically a whole-roof replacement. If you only wanted to replace a damaged patch with 30 square feet of panels, Tesla isn't an option, and other solar shingles might not be able to be installed by your local roofer.

GAF Energy hopes to change that with its Timberline Solar, announced today at CES, which it says can be installed by any roofer with a nail gun. GAF Energy president Martin DeBono described the shingle as "the only product to integrate solar technology into existing roofing processes and materials to yield a full-fledged solar roof, enabling mainstream deployment of clean energy via traditional roofing channels."

You might wonder why, if you're already going to the trouble of getting solar installed on your roof, you don't just roll with it and get the specialist. It's going to be expensive anyway, right? It's true in a way, but the cost is coming down for every aspect of getting a solar roof, and every dollar shaved off makes it realistic for a few more customers (as Aurora Solar's COO Sam Adeyemo observed to me last year). Not only that, but specialists tend to congregate in population centers, meaning folks in rural areas, where solar might actually be more practical, face higher costs and lower availability.

The company noted that its solar shingles install just like regular roof shingles, except for exposing the electrical contacts on the upward side so they can be easily accessed (don't worry — the whole thing is as weatherproof as a regular roof too). You can even walk on them when it's time to clean the gutters. The company is the first to receive UL's new "building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) solar roofing certification," UL 7103.

It's just another step from solar roofs being an expensive, complex option to a normal one available to anyone, and maybe even one that will pay itself off in time.

Footage of police beating protesters with sticks has been viewed more than 100,000 times in Facebook posts that claim it shows Muslim separatists rallying in the restive Indian state of Assam. However, the video shows demonstrators marching against a controversial citizenship list in Assam in 2017."Assam Muslims took to the streets to demand a separate country but look what they received in return," reads a Hindi-language Facebook post shared on April 29.Assam is a remote state in northeast Indi

Though I wasn’t too confident about my pick because I thought it was a pretty even match-up, still we got it correctly as Dmitry Bivol defeated Saul Alvarez via decision.This prediction has shades of Bernard Hopkins vs. Felix Trinidad in 2001. Back then, almost everybody had “Tito” winning. I was among the minority who thought the bigger B-hop would handle Tito well.THE FIGHT. From the get-go the size difference between the two was quite glaring. The taller Bivol was able to find an early home f

ASIAN shares bounced back Friday, May 13, 2022, from losses earlier in the week, shrugging off data showing US wholesale prices soared 11 percent in April from a year earlier.The regional rally followed a mixed and muted close on Wall Street. Oil prices and US futures also were higher.Investors are puzzling over what’s next with inflation and the US central bank’s response to it. Trading has been volatile, with indexes prone to sharp swings as investors try to shield their portfolios from the im

A retired police officer was attacked in Sitio Dapdap, Barangay Bonbon, Aloguinsan town on Saturday morning, May 14, 2022.Staff Sergeant Lyle Joseph Ugdamen, investigating officer of Aloguinsan Police Station, identified the victim as Ernesto Manguilimotan Yongco, 70, a retired police major and a resident of Sitio Napo, Barangay Bonbon.Ugdamen told SunStar Cebu that the victim was walking along the road when he was hit with a stone in the head by the suspect identified as Leo Gaviola Villarin, a

A photo of the Kuwait Towers illuminated in red and green has been shared more than 150,000 times in posts claiming it shows the landmark lit up with the campaign colours of Ferdinand Marcos Jr and Sara Duterte following their landslide victories in the 2022 Philippine elections. In fact, the photo has circulated online since 2016 and the agency that runs the towers said it showed them lit up to celebrate the United Arab Emirates's national day."Kuwait celebration for BBM SARA VICTORY...Kuwait j

CARLO: Hi, Singlestalk. I was a huge fan of your column way back when I was starting in my career. You’re like a virtual friend. I’m now married, blessed with a good 14-year-old son. He’s bright and caring. someone who will likely one day make his mark. There’s something about him, though, that worries me. And over the long weekend, I caught him wearing his mom’s high heels and her lipstick, too. I know this is a parental concern and your column is about singles. I’ve got golf buddies but this i

Former Department of Social Welfare and Development Secretary Judy Taguiwalo received an apology from her daughter and other activists for "failing" Martial Law survivors after the election victory of Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr.

A video has been viewed thousands of times on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter alongside a claim it shows lifelike robots performing a classical dance in China's Shanghai Disneyland theme park. The claim is false: the video features human dancers, and the clip was filmed in Moscow, Russia. AFP did not find any reference to a show with robot dancers on the Shanghai Disneyland website.The video was shared here by an India-based Facebook user on March 11.The 49-second clip shows a man and woman dancin

CEBU FC suffered its first setback in the 2022 Copa Paulino Alcantara after losing to defending champion Kaya FC-Iloilo in its last elimination round match on Thursday, May 12, 2022, at the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) Training Center in Carmona, Cavite.Ghanaian midfielder Patrick Arthur gave Kaya FC the early lead after converting a free kick in the 14th minute. Arthur struck from outside the box and the ball bounced off the crossbar and into the net.Japanese striker Daizo Horikoshi was

INTERNATIONAL Boxing Federation (IBF) No. 1 ranked super bantamweight Marlon Tapales keeps himself busy, in preparation for a future world title shot, and takes on Mexican journeyman Jose Estrella in an eight-rounder on Saturday, May 14, 2022 at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.Tapales awaits the winner of the world title clash between IBF and World Boxing Association (WBA) super bantamweight king Murodjon Akhmadaliev and Ronny Rios scheduled on June 25 in San Antonio, Texas.

Premier developer Primary Homes Inc. (PHI) launched its fourth Royal Palms residential project in Bohol's Panglao Island on April 30, 2022, 10 years after the developer launched its first project in the province. This new development brings in a total of 183 house and lot units to cater to the Boholanos' growing need for quality homes.Bohol, a first class province with 47 municipalities and one city, draws a big part of its revenues from the remittances of overseas Filipino workers’ (OFWs) who a

Chihiro Ikeda bagged the championship in the ICTSI Mount Malarayat Ladies Challenge after she beat Chanelle Avaricio by three strokes on a remarkable eagle-spiked frontside charge for a second straight 72 at Mount Malarayat’s composite course on Friday in Lipa City, Batangas.Not even a backside slide could hold back Ikeda’s bid for a first Ladies Philippine Golf Tour championship in three years as she built enough cushion with her 33 at the turn and Avaricio ran out of holes in her rally to turn

The patch did not just include champion and balances, but also features new champions and changes that bring Wild Rift closer to the LoL PC version.

THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Cebu City is set to release honorariums to all teachers from public and private schools who served as poll workers during the May 9, 2022 national and local elections.Marilou Paredes, acting election officer of Cebu City South District, told reporters on Friday, May 13, that the Comelec will begin its payout on May 23.Paredes said for the south district alone, the Comelec has allocated P25 million for the poll workers’ honoraria.According to Paredes, chai

It was effective as a campaign strategy but now that Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is about to assume the post of President he should be called by his name, not as “BBM.”“BBM” came from “Bongbong Marcos” because these are not his initials from his full name of Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. “Bongbong,” his nickname, sounded childish and is difficult to pronounce by foreign media. Also, “Marcos” as a rally chant sounded close to what activists used to shout, “Marcos duwag” (Marcos coward).So, it was smart

Are you even really part of Generation Z if you don’t know what a “finsta” is?Whether you refer to it as a finsta, a spam account, or a dummy account, you either have one, or you have a friend who follows a friend that has one.A “finsta” – a portmanteau of fake and Instagram – is a private Instagram account exclusive to a person’s close friends. Unlike conventional forms of social media, finstas encourage people to post whatever they want, regardless of how random, contextless, and wacky it may

NBA superstar Zion Williamson obtained trademark registrations from the US Patent and Trademark Office for the “Zion Williamson” and “Zion” trademarks covering clothing, footwear, headwear, sports balls, downloadable video game software, headphones, jewelry, bottled water, energy drinks, online computer games, and for “Endorsement services, namely, promoting the goods and services of others.”Zion filed a trademark opposition case against a trademark application for the “Zion Influencers” tradema

THE soon-to-rise Global City Mandaue will be Mandaue City’s “economy booster” that will attract both local and international investors.It will be the first-ever waterfront city in Cebu that will increase opportunities for labor and tourism, particularly in Mandaue City.This is what Mayor Jonas Cortes said during Global City’s groundbreaking ceremony held at the Radisson Blu Hotel on Thursday, May 12, 2022.Cortes said the P20 billion project, a partnership between the Mandaue City Government, pri

A TOTAL of 716 Philippine National Police (PNP) personnel have been dismissed from the service after they were found to have been involved in illegal drugs.The dismissals involved personnel whose administrative cases had been resolved from July 2016 to May 4, 2022.PNP Officer-In-Charge Police Lt. Gen Vicente Danao Jr. released the information on Thursday, May 12, 2022.Danao said of the 716 erring PNP personnel, 527 had been dismissed nationwide for taking illegal drugs themselves while 189 were

Chan and the rest of the candidates of Team Ahong-Team Libre won decisively in the May 9, 2022 elections, completely shutting out their opponents from Team Deretso led by Rep. Paz Radaza, who had challenged Chan for the mayorship.Vice Mayor Celedonio “Celsi” Sitoy was reelected, First Lady Ma. Cynthia “Cindi” King-Chan was elected Lapu-Lapu City Lone District representative, and Team Ahong-Team Libre took all the 12 seats in the City Council, removing what Chan said had been a roadblock in getti