Land News 800x150 full size

Will the Tesla Solar Roof Revolutionize Energy-Efficient Homes?

will the tesla solar roof revolutionize energy-efficient homes?

Subscribe to our Land News Email

Published date:

June 09, 2017

Last updated date:

June 09, 2017

By Manny Manriquez

by Doug Gelbert Photo credit: www.Tesla.com The first thing to know about the Tesla solar roof is that it looks fantastic. When Elon Musk, Tesla founder and energetic market disruptor, announced he was going into the residential solar energy business last fall he stated as his main motivation that all the solar energy-paneled roofs he had seen were flat out ugly. There would be no reason getting into the game if he couldn't make a better looking solar roof. Mission accomplished on that score. There are four style varieties of Tesla solar roof, each made out of tempered glass tiles embedded with photovoltaic cells: black textured glass, gray smooth glass, Tuscan glass and slate glass. Tesla has begun taking orders for its solar roofs and at this point only the first two are available. The other two will come online in 2018. From the photos of the model homes released to the public thus far the Tesla solar roof looks as good or better than any current upscale roof on the market. From the street there is no way to tell you are looking at a power-generating roof. With his introduction Must vowed that the Tesla solar roof would be a "better product at a slightly better price." Here is where the true value comparisons become a little murky. The cost of a new asphalt shingle roof on a 3,000-square foot house will run in the ballpark of $15,000. An equivalent Tesla solar roof will cost north of $65,000. We will grant Musk that he has a better product, even if it is still unknown exactly how efficient the glass tiles will be in real-world conditions and the reliability of the PowerWall storage and distribution system is similarly untested. But can the average homeowner really save enough dollars on energy costs to recoup at least $50,000? There are many variables that can never accurately be plugged into that equation without a time travel machine. Will attractive government tax credits available for solar energy today still be in force in years - and decades - to come? Will the cost of electricity continue to go up at an accustomed 2% every year? What if a new technology is developed that will actually send the cost of power tumbling down in the future? Will the utility companies that today allow residential solar energy producers to flow power back into the grid for credit still maintain those policies? What if Tesla does not even survive as a company as long as the roof? Questions, questions, questions. There is no simple answer as to whether the new Tesla solar roofs will be the salvation of homeowners and their energy needs. For now it appears that the market for the exciting Tesla solar roof will be the same as the market was for Musk's exciting Tesla electric cars - early adopters who lust after the flashiest new thing and come with open checkbooks to bear, regardless of the cost. One thing is for sure - they will be getting a great looking roof. Like this article?  Please feel free to share or post a link on your site: https://www.landhub.com/blog/will-tesla-solar-roof-revolutionize-energy-efficient-homes/
logo

All Land News

Leave a Reply