Solar power is considered by many to be the bright future of the energy industry, helping households produce their energy directly from the sun and manage to cut costs and at the same time reduce carbon emissions. It is only natural that this industry is currently experiencing a sharp rise in terms of technology development, with new ideas appearing and constantly changing the market. Such a proposal is the famous “Tesla Roof” of the American automotive and energy company that spearheads the current development of solar technologies.
What is a Tesla Roof?
A Tesla Roof is an invention that aims to combine solar panels with conventional roof tiles and provide free solar energy to a household. They managed this interesting combination by creating tiles that have a solar cell inside, which is placed beneath a sheet of tempered glass. At first glance, they seem like completely normal roof tiles, but if you view at different angles, you can locate the photovoltaic cell within the tile. When viewed through a lower angle (as it happens when you look at a roof from ground level) the photovoltaic is obscured, effectively concealing it. With this development, Tesla aims to further refine the solar energy solutions that are available to the public, and create a completely independent household that can produce energy, store it with the batteries that the company produces and power both the house and the famed electric cars that Tesla is producing.
What are the benefits of the Tesla Roof?
According to the company, these tiles are very efficient at producing energy, while they are arguably a huge aesthetic development compared to most conventional solar panels. Panels are generally considered unappealing, thus some homeowners might avoid filling their roof completely, in order to maintain the aesthetics of their roof. Tesla as a company aimed to solve exactly this problem, by transforming roof tiles to solar energy generators, letting its customers exploit a larger part of their roof surface. It has to be noted that due to their design, a solar tile is not energy producing on 100% of its surface, as the PV cell which is enclosed is slightly smaller, but since it is possible to cover the entire roof (while most solar panels cover the roof partially), this small problem is not seriously harming energy production capabilities.
At the same time, they boast solar tiles are more durable than normal roof tiles, as they are made of tempered glass, which is notoriously hardy. Tesla is so sure of their product’s longevity, that they offer a lifetime warranty to everyone who installs it, being sure that it will last a lifetime. Since most people might need to change their roof tiles once every few decades, it can be understood that in the long run, one might save money by investing in a solution that seems to last longer.
Finally, since it is made by Tesla it is supposed to work ideally together with the rest technologies that the company offers in terms of energy production and saving, being able to create a very efficient private energy grid.
The current issues
All these interesting characteristics of the Tesla Roof might sound truly incredible, but currently, the truth behind this development is quite different. Tesla faces numerous problems and most costumers that have pre-ordered a Tesla Roof (incurring a down-payment or deposit) still wait. Tesla has installed only a few roofs, with most of them being in California, and they are promising that they will speed up the tile production and placement within 2019. At the same time, most studies suggest that placing Tesla Roof tiles is practically a mistake, as they cost more and they do not produce as much electricity as a conventional and contemporary solar panel of the same area. Thus, since it is both more expensive and not as good at producing energy, Tesla needs to upgrade their product, or risk selling only to people who care just for the aesthetics factor.
Why choose ALIVE Solar & Roofing
Tesla Roofs might be a good idea, but they are still a long way from being an accessible and sensible solution for the general public. If you want to find a solution that is both cost-effective, aesthetically refined and personalized to your very needs, then ALIVE Solar & Roofing is ready to support and help you with every roofing or energy need that you might have. We are a new and dynamic company, founded in 2010 and following all of the current trends in this competitive industry, to offer our customers the best possible services at affordable, reasonable prices.