Tesla Wont Let You Go Off
While the shingles will withstand some impressive weather events, they do require a grid connection to power your home.
Unfortunately, If you experience a power outage, your solar shingles will stop producing electricity until the grid is back online – unless it is paired with a solar battery. This also means you cannot install an off-grid Tesla solar roof.
Tesla Solar Roof: How Installation Works
Alex Guichet, a games developer based in Cupertino, gave perhaps the most detailed rundown of the installation process for a third-generation Solar Roof. On October 23, 2019, two days before the new product was announced, Guichet signed a contract with Tesla to install the new tiles before they were announced.
Nearly three weeks later on November 11, Tesla confirmed that the installation permit had been secured. Two days later a subcontractor removed their original roof over the space of two hours. Tesla delivered the materials on November 15, and the company’s roofing crew completed work on November 22. This included delays from rain and the weekend.
On December 2, the team started wiring up the electricals, a process completed two days later and fully tested a further three days later. It passed local government inspections on the 11th, and the following month Guichet received permission to start operating from the power company.
Tesla Solar Roof Availability: Who Can Buy
At the moment, the Tesla Solar Roof is being installed in various locations across the United States.
At the October 2019 unveiling, Teslaâs senior director of energy operations Kunal Girota explained that Tesla is installing retrofit solar panels in 25 states, and it will be offering the roof in all of those states. The goal, however, is to expand across the country with both the companyâs internal teams and third parties.
At the time of writing, Teslaâs website accepts orders for its retrofit solar panels in 24 locations: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusets, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington.
The Tesla Solar Roof section of the website accepts orders for all 50 states bar Minnesota. Inverse has reached out to Tesla for more information.
As for international buyers, there may be some good news on that front. Musk stated on Twitter in February 2020 that he was âlooking forward to international expansion later this year.â
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How Much Does A Tesla Powerwall Cost
Once again, cost will be a major question and consideration for potential Powerwall owners. The main factor that will determine how much your Tesla solar battery setup will cost is how many Powerwalls you actually need based on the size of your panel system.
While every system will differ, each installation type will be unique and your mileage may vary, we reached out to Tesla to ask about general cost estimates and found the right rule of thumb to consider is:
- One Powerwall: $10,500
- Two Powerwalls: $17,000
Tesla Solar Roof Cost And Availability: How To Buy Elon Musk’s Energy Tiles
The solar-harnessing tiles could be coming to a roof near you.
The third-generation Tesla Solar Roof is here. Elon Musk’s newest energy-saving shingles were announced in October 2019 and feature a design that looks nearly identical to a regular roof. But how much does a Tesla Solar Roof cost? And where are they available?
The Tesla Solar Rooftiles have a lot to offer. They’re designed to blend into your roof while providing renewable power 24/7 in conjunction with a Powerwall battery. They have a warranty of 25 years. Tesla even made a video showing its Solar Roof surviving a two-inch hailstone moving at 100 mph. That’s way better than regular old roof tiles hold up.
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Longtime Customers Said There’s Been A Notable Dip In Customer Service Since Tesla Acquired Its Energy Division From Solarcity
Tesla’s solar-energy division was created in 2016 when the company acquired a solar-panel company called SolarCity headed up by Elon Musk’s cousin Lyndon Rive for $2.6 billion.
It inherited customers who already had solar panels put up by SolarCity, some of whom told Insider that customer care has since deteriorated.
One SolarCity customer, who asked to remain anonymous, said they’d noticed “a significant drop in customer service and tech support” since the acquisition.
“Prior to the acquisition by Tesla, should I have a need to contact them with a question or concern, which was rarely, I was able to reach them quickly via phone,” they said. They added that in the few instances where there was a problem, SolarCity got in touch within 48 hours.
“Once Tesla acquired SC in 2016, the service change was noticeable almost immediately. Their billing system seemed unprepared for the transition, and errors began to appear in bills. I had to contact them more frequently, but they did not seem to have adequate personnel, and it took longer to get responses,” they said.
A 2016 regulatory filing showed SolarCity cut down on staff to reduce costs ahead of the acquisition.
Technical problems started to fly under the radar, they said. SolarCity had actively notified them when there was a problem but once Tesla took over, system outages went unnoticed until the customer used their web app, they said.
Is It Worth It To Get A Tesla Solar Roof
If youre willing to pay the high price point, need to replace your roof and like the idea and sleek aesthetic of Teslas solar shingles, then it may be worth it to get a Solar Roof. Otherwise, Teslas Solar Panels, or even traditional solar panels, may make more financial sense while still increasing your homes energy efficiency.
Teslas solar options are significantly more expensive than other renewable energy alternatives on the market, and the company has had a record of changing quoted prices for the Solar Roof fairly regularly. However, if you have the finances and do not mind integrating your home into the Tesla system, a Solar Roof is a good long-term investment for your home.
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Tesla Solar Roof Cost
The Tesla Solar Roof also undercuts the cost of buying a roof and panels separately. Tesla says a 10-kilowatt roof in California will cost around $33,950, equating to $5.60 per square foot or $2.11 per watt. That, Tesla claims, is cheaper than spending $54,647 on a premium roof and retrofit solar panels .
Tesla Solar Roof tiles were first announced in October 2016, but except for a small number of installations in the spring of 2018 they never seemed to materialize in bulk. Reports at the time suggest installations measured in just the 10s of houses. But Tesla partnered with a Chinese supplier for the third-generation tiles, and previous supplier Panasonic ended its agreement to produce the tiles this week.
As Tesla starts to raise the roof, hereâs how to get the roof installed.
Tesla’s New Solar Power Tiles Can Generate 22% More Clean Energy
In yet another bid to push forward its solar business, electric vehicle maker Tesla has launched a new solar roof tile that has a higher power output while retaining the dimensions of the old one.
Tesla entered the clean energy business when it acquired SolarCity for $2.6 billion in 2016. It makes switching to solar energy sleeker by replacing regular roof tiles with energy-generating solar roof tiles, instead of having to install bulky solar panels. Tesla offers a 25-year warranty on the tiles and takes end-to-end responsibility for installing the new solar roof.
In a bid to push the acceptance of its solar roof tiles, the company has now introduced a new roof tile. As Electrek reported, recent quotes provided by the company feature the SR72T1 tile against the SR60T1 tiles that were included previously. The nomenclature provides details about the power output of these tiles, with the former providing a maximum output of 71.67 watts while the older tile’s output maxed at 58.5 watts. The tile size has remained unchanged even as the power output has increased 22 percent.
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Tesla Can Sell Residential Solar Equipment Leases In Florida
Earlier this year, theFlorida Public Service Commission ruled that Tesla can now sell residential solar equipment leases in Florida. In a statement, the commission declared their solar equipment lease does not constitute the sale of electricity and Tesla would not be considered a public utility under Florida law. This means neither Tesla nor their customers would be subject to commission regulation. The law states that leasing renewable energy equipment is legal as long as electricity isnt effectively being sold to the customer.
This was the third time the commission ruled in favor of solar equipment companies, declaring solar equipment leases did not constitute the sale of electricity. The other two companies were Vivint Solar Developer Inc. and Sunrun, Inc. These rulings bode well for the future of solar roofing throughout Florida.
Who Makes The Solar Panels For Tesla
Tesla does not make its own solar cells. Up very until recently, Panasonic created all of Teslas solar cells and historically used Hanwha Q CELLS Peak Duo Black solar panels for installations.
In 2021, Tesla announced that they were switching over to their own line of panels for installations, the Tesla T425S, which still largely feature cells made by Panasonic.
As of writing, Its unknown whether Tesla will begin making their own solar cells or switching to another manufacturer.
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Pricing: Solar Roof Vs Solar Panels
You may have seen headlines that Tesla drastically increased their solar roof price. Weve also been playing around with their online solar quote tool and will walk through an example of Tesla solar roof pricing vs a traditional solar system below. Upfront disclaimer Based on the nature of Teslas solar quote tool, it is difficult to illustrate an apples-to-apples price/savings comparison, were in more of an apples-to-crabapples comparison here.
So, lets start with what we do know. Our average home solar system size from 2021 is 8 kilowatts with a turn-key cost around $25,000 before incentives. That 8 kW system will generate approximately 11,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per year, saving its owner around $1,040 annually or $86 per month.
These estimates are specific to North Carolina taking our local utility rates, state solar production potential, and estimated rise in utility cost into account. To learn more about these factors, check out our blog on what to watch out for on a solar proposal.
| $86 | $176 |
When we built a solar roof sized to 8kW in Teslas online solar roof design tool, Tesla listed the price as $56,755 before incentives, generating 12,087kWh per year, and saving its owner $2,112 annually or $176 per month. While we did have to game Teslas system to reach the same 8 kW solar size by tweaking the monthly electric bill cost, there are a few issues with how Tesla has calculated production and savings.
Tesla Expands Solar Roof Installations To Anywhere In The Us
Tesla has decided to expand the market for solar roof tile installations to anywhere in the US.
The move comes as Tesla aims to greatly accelerate solar roof installations.
Until recently, Tesla solar roof installations were limited to some approved markets in the US within a relatively short distance of Tesla Energy warehouses.
It has been limiting the growth of the product that aims to offer an alternative to regular solar panels, which is still the bulk of Teslas solar business.
Now sources familiar with the matter told Electrek that Tesla opened installations of the solar roof tiles to any customer anywhere in the US.
Anyone can submit an order regardless of their distance from a Tesla Energy warehouse, and the company will have the capacity to send travel installation crews to the location.
However, Tesla will send people to survey the houses prior to going forward with any project in order to make sure the structures are good candidates for solar roof tiles.
The company has been known for prioritizing projects with simpler roofs.
As we previously reported, Tesla significantly increased the price of the solar roof tiles earlier this year after introducing a new roof complexity factor.
The expectation was that the price increase had put a dent in Teslas solar roof tile demand.
It showed that the company was still trying to drive demand for the product.
Tesla only noted this about solar roof deployment in its latest earnings:
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How Long Does It Take To Get A Tesla Solar Tile Roof
The current estimated wait time is between 30 days to 6 months for Tesla to begin the installation. However, dont be surprised if it takes longer to get your new Tesla solar roof after you place the order, as Tesla has been pushing the wait times in the past while iterating on different solar tile roof designs since 2016/2017.
With the recently completed trial of the SolarCity Acquisition Lawsuit against Elon Musk at the Delaware Chancery Court, its not clear what the ultimate fate of the Tesla Solar Roof will be, given that Teslas Energy Division has been unprofitable thus far. As the trial concludes, there will likely be less pressure on Elon Musk to deliver on the promise of the Tesla Solar Roof, so the long-term future of this highly hyped product is still a bit murky and unclear at the moment.
Tesla Solar Roof Specifications
As of February 2021, these are the published specifications for the Solar Roof:
- Tile warranty: 25 years
- Wind rating: ASTM D3161 Class F
- Fire rating: Class A
- Hail rating: ANSI FM 4473 Class 3
- Roof pitch: 2:12 to 20:12
- Inverter power: 3.8kW / 7.6kW
- Inverter dimensions: 26″ x 16″ x 6″
- Inverter warranty: 12.5 years
Some thoughts about this: the tile warranty is similar to other high performance solar panels with 25 year warranties such as LG and SunPower. The warranty also includes labor.
The inverter described is a central inverter similar to those offered by SolarEdge and SMA. Its warranty length is similar to a central inverter, which is half the duration of the 25 year warranty offered with Enphase microinverters . No word about how much an inverter replacement would cost.
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What Is The Tesla Solar Roof
One of the biggest issues homeowners have with solar panels is how they look. As a response, in 2016, Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced Tesla Energys new product – the Tesla solar roof – on the set of then-popular television series Desperate Housewives of all places. That should have given us some sort of indication that the Tesla roof was probably going to be all for show.
The solar roof was designed to function as photovoltaic solar panels while seamlessly integrating into a roof. This way homeowners could still enjoy the benefits of solar energy, like electric bill savings and using clean energy, without having to sacrifice their homes aesthetics.
In order to get a uniform look, a homes entire roof is replaced with Tesla shingles. Not all of these shingles will generate electricity , but the whole roof will be covered in Tesla brand shingles.
This Is A 40 Square 15kw Tesla Solar Roof Installation Over The Course Of Four Days
Roofing contractor Weddle and Sons Roofing just completed a Tesla Solar Roof installation in Topeka, Kansas. The project was a 40 square 15kW Tesla Solar Roof. The company filmed the entire four-day project and is now sharing it with the world on YouTube, in time-lapse form, of course
We get to see Weddle and Sons set up for the epic project, and then install the PV tiles, glass tiles, and flashings. The tear-off of the original roof and the dry-in aren’t included in the video.
While Tesla Solar has been around for some time, and it touted its Solar Roof heavily for a time, it still hasn’t become “big news.” If you search the internet, you’ll likely find some negative information related to the Tesla Solar Roof. This is due in part to the SolarCity acquisition situation. In addition, Tesla’s solar roof sales haven’t exactly been booming. Moreover, some owners have reported problems that occurred during installation.
With that said, solar power is the future. If any company has the ability to succeed with a solar roof in a big way, Tesla should be on the list, and arguably at the top. However, just like when Tesla first started selling electric cars, this is a new technology and there’s simply not a ton of demand for it yet in most areas. It’s also expensive, and the tech will improve over time.
Read More About The Tesla Solar Roof:
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Tesla Claims Solar Roof Install In Less Than 2 Days Finally Accelerates Solar Power Deployment
Tesla has apparently finally turned a corner when it comes to its solar business, and it is even claiming to have completed a solar roof install in less than two days. But theres a big caveat to that claim.
Ever since Teslas acquisition of SolarCity, new solar power deployment has been plummeting virtually every quarter.
Over the last year, Tesla has completely revamped its solar business with new solar panels and lower prices.
The idea was to turn things around, but we havent seen any result, with Teslas solar deployment falling to a record low of just 27 MW in Q2.
Today, Tesla confirmed that they deployed 57 MW during the last quarter something that Tesla hasnt achieved since Q4 2018.
It shows that Tesla is finally turning a corner with its solar business with more solar panel and solar roof deployment.
Tesla wrote in its Q3 2020 financial results:
Our recently introduced strategy of low-cost solar is starting to have an impact. Total solar deployments more than doubled in Q3 to 57 MW compared to the prior quarter, with Solar Roof deployments almost tripling sequentially.
Solar roof installs were a big part of the increased solar deployment during the last quarter.
Tesla evens claims that they managed to to a solar roof install in just ~1.5-day:
However, the photos referenced by Tesla confirm that they start the 1.5-day count after they had already removed the old roof and installed the underlay:
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