Tesla solar roofs began to be installed to customers

In November 2016, Tesla Motors held an important meeting with shareholders . The goal was to vote on the possibility of a merger between Tesla Motors and SolarCity through the exchange of shares. Since such a union was in the interest of many, more than 85% of the shareholders voted for it.



At the same meeting, the head of Tesla Motors Ilon Musk said that the solar roofs of Solar City, which generate energy for the house, will be cheaper than ordinary roofs both during the installation phase and during operation. Immediately after the meeting, enthusiastic feedback on the results of the event appeared on the Web. No wonder, because if the roof, which is capable of generating energy, is cheaper than the usual roof, then who needs the latter?



“It looks promising that a solar roof will actually cost less than a normal roof without electricity,” said Ilon Mask. “So the main question is:“ Do you want a roof that looks better than a normal roof, it serves twice as long, costs less and, by the way, generates electricity? ”For what reason to buy something else?”



For the idea buyers voted in ruble. So, after the opening of pre-orders for a new roof, they were all bought up until 2018. The cost of the pre-order was not too big, but $ 1000 is quite a substantial amount. In August 2017, the roof began to install . True, initially they began to receive employees of the company, and not third-party customers. Everyone else had to wait, and the wait was held in an atmosphere of impatience. It's no joke, because the roof is covered by the guarantee while the house is “or for ages.”







It is clear that the solar roof can not be installed everywhere, but in sunny regions it can be done without problems, then using the stored energy for home energy supply. Yes, the roof is not cheap, but it is worth it - because it pays off, and then with its help you can earn money by selling surplus generated energy to local energy companies.



Of course, it was not without flaws. One of them - the possible loss of efficiency of the solar roof. The fact is that in the presence of a large amount of solar radiation, such a roof can quickly heat up, losing its efficiency. Plus, the roof is quite demanding on the direction of the sun's rays. The effectiveness of the panels depends on what kind of light falls on them and at what angle.



Whatever it was, now the panels began to receive not only the employees of the company, but also those who pre-ordered the solar roof in that very 2016. Now the installation is made in New York, a bit later the project is scaled, coming to other cities. Not all solar roof consists of active tiles. There are also inactive, its cost is about $ 11 apiece. Well, tile, capable of generating electricity, is estimated at $ 42 apiece. Ilon Mask argues that by mixing the active and inactive elements of the roof in different proportions, you can achieve excellent results in terms of energy.



It is clear that installing Solar Roof is not for everyone. This system works best in the regions where there is the most sunlight , which is quite logical.





The Powerwall 2 battery, 1150 × 755 × 155 mm in size and weighing 122 kg, is suitable for indoor or outdoor installation on a wall or floor, and works in a temperature range from −20 ° C to 50 ° C. Warranty 10 years (unlimited charge / discharge cycles), power 5 kW continuously, 7 kW peak



Another interesting point is that this project is being implemented on its own, without government subsidies. In any case, says Ilon Musk. He also says that the designed tile is much lighter than similar elements created by traditional technology.



Tesla roofs were developed in collaboration with Panasonic at a plant in Buffalo, New York. The total cost of any roof is calculated individually. In addition to the roof itself, the buyer still needs a Powerwall battery to store energy. The battery capacity in this case is 14 kWh. Well, the price of the Powerwall system is $ 5500, which is not so small. True, the battery can be purchased by installments, Tesla has very flexible conditions in this regard.