a photovoltaic shingle having a photovoltaic assembly with a photovoltaic cell or cells . the substrate has an outward face and an inward face and a profile having a plurality of traverse parallel ridges with each ridge separated from the next ridge by a traverse parallel trough . the substrate facilitates vertical and horizontal nesting and alignment . the photovoltaic cell substantially spans the outward face except for a portion thereof that is intended to be overlapped by another similar shingle . the substrate can have two tiers or more , each tier being separated by an integral riser that creates the appearance of two rows or more of shingles . the substrate can be produced from recyclable plastic . the shingles have a translucent color enhancing means for imparting an uniform color and can be produced in many colors and shapes . the shingle is attached directly to a building or roof structure without an intermediary support or framing structure therebetween .