Tesla Solar Roof Will Likely Cost Less Than Regular Roof Before Electricity Savings
Last month, Elon Musk went on stage to unveil the Tesla and SolarCity solar roof, a product that looks very similar to an ordinary home roof, but with each shingle instead being a small part of a large solar offering. Prices weren't discussed at the time, though Musk emphasized the necessity of affordability and suggested the solar roof wouldn't be more expensive than a regular home roof when taking into account electricity savings.
Musk both underscored and updated that statement recently, saying it is likely the solar roof will actually be cheaper than a regular home roof before adding in the electricity savings. He revealed the news on Wednesday during a shareholder meeting, and assuming it ends up being accurate, it'll douse one of the biggest concerns voiced by skeptics and critics.
The lower cost would be on top of other benefits, the most obvious of which is the addition of solar power to one's home in a way that is attractive. As well, these solar tiles are said to be more durable than regular roof shingles, so the lower cost may be on top of a reduced rate of replacements and repairs.
Speaking about the cost to shareholders, Musk said:
I was just meeting with the SolarCity engineering team and I don't want to 100% commit to this yet, but its looking quite promising that a solar roof will actually cost less than a normal roof before you even take the value of electricity into account. So the basic proposition would be: would you like a roof that looks better than a normal roof, lasts twice as long, costs less, and by the way, generates electricity?
A total of four styles were introduced: smooth glass, textured glass, slate glass, and Tuscan glass. Each has a different color and unique style design, and when viewed from the ground they appear to be ordinary shingles, more or less. At the bottom of each piece of glass, though, is a small high-efficiency solar cell protected by tempered glass. Because the glass tiles are hydrographically printed, they are each unique in appearance, further lending to the traditional roof appearance.
VIA: SeekingAlpha