Tesla's Solar Roof + Powerwall 2

If you didn’t already plunk down your deposit for a Tesla solar roof, you might be in for a bit of a wait. Orders are backed up into mid-2018, as demand has exceeded expectation, even with costs double to triple that of a conventional roof. Homeowners are excited about the possibilities of clean home energy integration and carbon reduction.

As CEO Elon Musk explains in his Tesla sales video, Tesla is dedicated to the future of Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV), with Tesla Energy’s combination of solar roofing and their latest storage unit, Powerwall 2.0 (2nd photo.) Musk says it can store 13.5 kWh of energy and provide 5 kWh of continuous power, but will improve to 7 kWh at peak. The "Integrated" photovoltaics appear to be the future, rather than “applied” panels, solar units attached to an existing roof.

The Tesla roofing product is tempered glass tiles, which are three times stronger than standard roofing tiles (said to repel 100 mph hailstones), and lighter in weight. They will be offered in four different roof types: Textured Glass Tile, Slate Glass Tile, (3rd photo) Tuscan Glass Tile, and Smooth Glass (last photo). Of course this is Tesla, so aesthetics rule as well as technology. The roof will appear opaque and classic from the street, disguising the solar cells inside, but remain translucent and sun friendly from above.

With the cost of all types of solar dropping nationwide, we hope Mr. Musk’s piggy bank is full, as some business analysts, such as in this Buffalo News article, believe it will be a long climb to the system’s profitability. So far, Tesla has shown they can combine beautiful design and energy efficiency on the roadway; let’s see if it can happen at home.