Solar panels + Synthetic roofing = Great homeowner savings

By DaVinci Roofscapes.

Get an Earth Day advantage with roofing systems that maximize sunlight.

Would you put solar panels on your roof if almost the entire cost of the project was covered for you? Homeowner Trent N. just made this smart move.

“All in all, the incentives Trent received for installing the solar panels cover around 90% of the project costs,” says Robert Thacker, owner and CEO of Fibonacci Energy, the solar panel company Tamer purchased his system from. “First, he receives Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SRECs) from the state of Illinois in the form of a check within nine months of installation. Then he qualifies for the Investment Tax Credit (ITC) for solar. ComEd also offers Distribution Generation (DG) rebates for solar and battery systems that he qualifies for. And then there’s a check from the utility with nine weeks of Permission to Operate (PTO). There’s also a federal tax rebate."

He went on, "That’s almost the full cost of setting up the solar panel system. Finally, in general, he can be saving between $2,500 to $5,000 in energy fees each year with the solar panels.”

Combining with DaVinci

These impressive numbers, combined with the failing status of Trent’s real cedar shake roof, encouraged the Illinois homeowner to make some drastic changes to his roofing system last year. While he had been thinking about solar panels for several years, a 2023 hailstorm that severely damaged his roof spurred him to take the next steps. One of those steps was contacting DuraShield Roofing & Contracting.

“Replacing the roof with another cedar shake roof did not make sense,” says Anthony Walsh, owner of DuraShield Roofing & Contracting out of Neenah, Wisconsin. “Especially when adding in the solar panels on the southern exposure of the roof. You need something stronger that you can walk on without worry to maintain the solar panels long-term. Our suggestion was definitely the DaVinci composite shake product.”

Made of virgin resin, UV and thermal stabilizers plus a fire retardant, DaVinci products are Class 4 rated for impact resistance. The sustainable tiles can handle hail, severe weather conditions and high winds. They also resist insects, fading, cracking and splitting.

Solar trend rising

“Trent chose the DaVinci Multi-Width Shake in an Aged Cedar color, which looks great on his home,” says Anthony. “We were able to work closely with Fibonacci Energy to form a strong fit of the DaVinci tiles with the solar panels on the roof. While this was our first solar panels project, I can definitely see a trend for this growing in our areas in the future.”

According to Robert, that trend in Illinois is rapidly on the rise, “Quick research shows that solar product usage has increased 288% from 2022 to 2025,” says Thacker. “Illinois is rich with solar incentives and is an ideal marketplace. We think the DaVinci roof on Trent’s home looks amazing...Solar belongs on every DaVinci roof! They go so well together. The future of energy and the future of composite roofing goes hand-in-hand.”