The integrated PV system that looks like architectural metal.
SunStyle is a Swiss-engineered building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) tile manufactured in Lausanne. The tile is a tempered-glass diamond in a tight gridded field; from the street it reads as architectural metal scales — fish-scale slate, copper cladding, or a high-end zinc shingle. The PV is integrated into the tile itself.
SunStyle has been the European reference BIPV product since 2014, used heavily on modern Swiss, French, and German residential and small-institutional architecture. The product was approved for California installation in 2021. Helios is one of 9 SunStyle Certified Installers in California as of late 2025.
Helios has installed 35 SunStyle systems since 2021. The customer cohort is narrow — architect-led modern new construction, significant remodels with a high-end design intent, and homeowners with very specific aesthetic requirements. Most SunStyle inquiries come through an architect or general contractor, not directly from a homeowner.
Three reasons SunStyle ends up on the spec.
First, design language. SunStyle is unambiguous high-end modernist. The diamond grid reads as architectural metal, not as solar. On a contemporary residential project where the roof is a primary design element — flat or low-slope with significant visual exposure — SunStyle is the only integrated PV product that reads as architecture rather than as energy infrastructure.
Second, elevation flexibility. SunStyle installs on lower pitches than Tesla Solar Roof — down to 3/12 with proper underlayment detail. For flat-ish modern roofs (which Tesla Solar Roof excludes), SunStyle is often the only integrated option.
Third, watt-per-tile density. SunStyle's 110W per diamond tile is the highest per-element wattage among the three integrated systems we install. A smaller tile field can produce comparable kWh to a larger Tesla or GAF field.
What is in a SunStyle system.
Manufacturer ........ SunStyle SA (Lausanne, CH) Model ............... SunStyle Diamond Cell technology ..... Monocrystalline silicon PV Per-tile wattage .... 110 W (DC) Tile shape .......... Diamond (fish-scale) Tile dimensions ..... 480mm × 720mm Material ............ Tempered glass with PV Weight per tile ..... 18 lb Warranty (tile) ..... 30 years Warranty (PV) ....... 25 years (production)
Inverter ............ SolarEdge HD-Wave Inverter warranty ... 12 years Optimizer ........... SolarEdge P-Series (per tile) Battery storage ..... Tesla Powerwall 3 (13.5 kWh) Battery warranty .... 10 years Monitoring .......... SolarEdge monitoring portal Minimum pitch ....... 3/12 Fire rating ......... Class A (ASTM E108) Wind rating ......... 130 mph
What a SunStyle system actually costs in 2026.
SunStyle is the most expensive of the three integrated systems on a dollar-per-installed-watt basis. The Swiss-manufacture origin, the high per-tile wattage, the SolarEdge optimizer-per-tile architecture, and the more involved flashing detail of the diamond grid all contribute. The customer who picks SunStyle is typically not the customer optimizing for IRR.
Federal Section 25D ITC (30%) typically reduces final cost by $25,200 – $73,200.
What a Helios SunStyle in Auburn actually produces.
Dec 2024 ............ 902 kWh Jan 2025 ............ 1,022 kWh Feb 2025 ............ 1,272 kWh Mar 2025 ............ 1,612 kWh Apr 2025 ............ 1,832 kWh May 2025 ............ 2,012 kWh Jun 2025 ............ 2,108 kWh Jul 2025 ............ 2,068 kWh Aug 2025 ............ 1,952 kWh Sep 2025 ............ 1,672 kWh Oct 2025 ............ 1,202 kWh Nov 2025 ............ 602 kWh ─── TOTAL Y1 ........ 18,256 kWh
SunStyle, the five questions architects ask first.
What is SunStyle?
A Swiss-engineered building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) diamond-pattern tempered-glass tile, manufactured in Lausanne, used heavily in European modern architecture. Recently approved for California installation. Helios is one of nine SunStyle Certified Installers in California.
How many California installers are SunStyle Certified?
Nine, as of late 2025. Helios is one of them. The certification requires manufacturer-led training in Lausanne or at SunStyle's North American office in Boston.
What minimum roof pitch does SunStyle require?
3/12 with proper underlayment detail. This is lower than Tesla Solar Roof's 4/12 minimum and makes SunStyle the only viable integrated PV option on many modern low-slope residential designs.
How does SunStyle handle partial shading?
Each diamond tile has a SolarEdge P-Series DC optimizer. Partial shading on one tile reduces only that tile's output — the rest of the field continues to produce at full capacity. The optimizer-per-tile architecture is comparable in shade tolerance to GAF Timberline Solar's microinverter-per-shingle.
What is the lead time on SunStyle material?
SunStyle tile ships from the Swiss factory via the SunStyle North American warehouse in Boston. Typical material lead time is 8–12 weeks. We order on contract signature so material arrives in parallel with the permit-review window.
Request a SunStyle site audit.
For architects and general contractors on modern new-construction or major-remodel projects, contact Priya directly at priya@heliosroofworks.example.