In the last decade, the development of photovoltaic roofing elements has been exceptional. These efforts were not limited to merely improving the integration methods with standard PV products but were also directed towards the production of appropriate elements that could replace roof tiles or shingles. This paper reviews some of the competing technologies for photovoltaic roofing and addresses the issues raised in the total integration of PV into roofing structures. The paper also discusses the general requirements of an idealised photovoltaic roofing system and some of the relevant variables that are required for the satisfaction of the end users. It has been shown that current strategies available for the true integration of PV elements as roof tiles or shingles utilising the sloped building fabric are limited. There are however, major on-going activities to research and develop roofing systems based on the footprint of a roof tile or shingle. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.