Integrated solar roofs

[Electric Dream]

I would want all the tiles to be the same colour, even if some ended up being dummies. It was the nearest photo I could find to the sort of thing I am hoping Musk is thinking of. This is thin film technology, which isn't really efficient enough at the moment.

 

[Model 3]

What's up with that odd, flat portion of the roof, though?

I do not know. I would speculate that it may be a "glass roof"?

And are some of those "dummy" panels that are installed just to keep the roof uniform in look?

I do not think they have any "dummy" panels. What hey have is ordinary roof tiles with and without panels, but looks more or less the same so you can mix them with an (almost) uniform look.

Added (google-)translated quote from their website:

• Solar roof tiles blends visually into the roof structure.
• Each stone is connected in parallel. That means shade / snow and the like covering one or more stones, does not affect the efficacy of the other stones.
• You decide how large an area you wish to add.

...

Each solar roof tiles are connected in parallel which enables the system to not be subjected to shading.
Skylights, chimneys, ventilation ducts or antennas has no effect on the shade, when each stone is connected in parallel.
Apart from the north side of the roof, each square meter could be used for solar roof tiles.
30 m2 solar roof tiles provide approximately 3000 kWh per year.
The stones can be added as you wish.

 

[Xminus6]

I would buy panels that gave me solar hot water and pV all in one package for sure.
Putting the batteries on the roof doesn't seem to have much if any advantage, except that you may be able to harvest some energy from the batteries giving off heat as well, though that would likely be negated by winter month heating of batteries for me.

There was some research being done against this recently. I really tried to find a solution like this when I researched my PV system installation but there just isn't an available version of Hybrid Thermal and PV panels in the States.

 

[Bimbels]

Elon Musk raises the (solar) roof

EM is way ahead of you.

 

[Mkorpal]

So far the attempts at the concept havn't taken off, but tech continues to move forward making it possible. The battery idea doesn;t make sense for a number of reasons, including diminishing the purpose of the powerwalls. But I wouldn't discount Tesla/Solar City from making a really cool, advanced, good looking system. Tesla, with all their battery production, does have experience in thermal management, so perhaps they can figure out a way to integrate cooling into each module. Perhaps they can use that to heat your hot water heater during the day. The concept could be a cash cow if they could make the system simple to install, within a reasonable cost of a traditional roof, high enough capacity to power a standard house, and more durable than a traditional roof.

 

[Electric Dream]

Elon Musk raises the (solar) roof

EM is way ahead of you.

“This is a really fundamental part of having a differentiated product, where you’ll have a stunning, beautiful roof that’s a solar roof,” Musk said.

Now that's what I'm talking about!

 

[Saghost]

There are a couple companies building combined PV plus hot water solar panels.

The challenge with this idea is that the temperatures where PV starts losing efficiency are well below the temperature where most people want hot water.

Which leaves three options:

Run the panels hot, lose most of the efficiency gain on the PV side (but still have the benefits of having both systems in the same footprint.)

Or run the cooling mostly for PV and accept little or no hot water benefit (maybe even set up thermosiphon radiators?)

I've never heard of someone using the third option I'll put forward, but in principle you could keep the panels on the cold end and use the slightly heated water as a source for a heat pump water heater - the warmish water will improve the efficiency of the heat pump significantly, and the heat pump will let you have the hot water as hot as you want.

 

[Model 3]

Elon Musk raises the (solar) roof

EM is way ahead of you.

“It’s not something on the roof — it is the roof,” Musk said,

And that is what I was hoping for - and almost expected after all this talk about how beautiful it would be

 

[electracity]

The chance of the new roofing product obtaining significant market share is small. Many of these products have been tried. There are aesthetic, practical, and cost reasons that sales are small.

 

[aesculus]

I had this installed last year thinking with Dow making the investment it was solid. No so fast. Now they send me a letter stating they are getting out of the solar roof business in Calif and just licensing the technology. Are the EM and Dow statements related? Hard to say.

Elon Musk announces ‘Solar Roof’ product, Tesla/SolarCity will go after the roof industry

 

[Alketi]

The chance of the new roofing product obtaining significant market share is small. Many of these products have been tried.

True, but they're also hard to find. In my solar research I never came across them. That's a big problem.

Tesla will instantly solve the consumer access / consumer awareness problem. They'll also, presumably, operate at scale, so costs should be reasonable. The roof would also be subject to the federal tax credit.

Musk keeps insisting the aesthetics are better than a regular roof, and at the end of the CC, hinted these would be more durable than asphalt shingles.

This is different than Dow Chemical making solar roof shingles and then trying to convince a few dozen roofers around the country to install them. Consumers will know about these. The main factor for someone interested in solar will be cost.

 

[Cosmacelf]

Wow, talk about creating yet another huge sales barrier for yourself. An integrated roof would not appeal to anyone who has had a new roof installed in the last 15 years. Cross off all new home construction (until you made agreements with home builders, but that takes a long time). And now you have to prove that the new solar roof won't leak for 20 years and you have all sorts of big time construction warranties you have to pay for. To me this is just creating excuses for why sales will be sluggish for forever.

Is the new Solarcity panel factory only going to be creating solar roofs? Or are they going to make conventional panels too? If the former, again, it smells like they are making excuses for why their panels will be so expensive.

 

[ecarfan]

Is the new Solarcity panel factory only going to be creating solar roofs? Or are they going to make conventional panels too?

That factory is to build panels. Elon's "solar roof" product is a future product. He thinks long term.

 

[Alketi]

Is the new Solarcity panel factory only going to be creating solar roofs? Or are they going to make conventional panels too?

They're making both products.

One is for people with roofs toward the end-of-life who need a replacement anyway, the regular panels are for roofs in good condition.

 

[electracity]

One is for people with roofs toward the end-of-life who need a replacement anyway, the regular panels are for roofs in good condition.

The implication is that part of the cost of the roof replacement will be saved by the new solar roof. But that won't happen. Fiberglass asphalt roofing is cheap. Solar roofing is not cheap at all per square foot, and will likely have additional ice and water shield added to the roof. Plus hiding the wiring adds labor. Interfacing the solar roofing to valleys will add cost too.

Solar roofing is replacing material that typically costs about 75 cents a square foot for material. But no one is putting solar roofing on my house without adding ice and water shield to the transitions that solar roofing creates.

The trouble with any expensive solar solution is that it puts the ROI out past ten years, which for me makes it a non-investment. While not everyone cares about the economics, there is no large solar market without good economics.

The above garage/barn in IMO looks great. For may taste, in the backyard, sunpower panels would have looked good on that garage too. I hope the standard Tesla panels look as good as sunpower. If they don't, they may have a problem in the premium panel market.

 

[Cosmacelf]

That factory is to build panels. Elon's "solar roof" product is a future product. He thinks long term.

Elon has lots of ideas. But they don't always work. Witness the Model X motorized front doors and falcon wing doors.

Construction is all about cheap cost/sq ft. Here in CA, the waterproof barrier is a thin sheet of roofing paper, with clay tiles laid overtop as a sunscreen. It will be interesting indeed if they can compete with that.

 

[ecarfan]

Elon has lots of ideas. But they don't always work. Witness the Model X motorized front doors and falcon wing doors.

Actually they do work, just not yet perfectly. Of course they will iron out the kinks and the buggy Model X production ramp up will soon be a distant memory. You give Tesla engineers too little credit.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

True, but they're also hard to find. In my solar research I never came across them. That's a big problem.

Tesla will instantly solve the consumer access / consumer awareness problem. They'll also, presumably, operate at scale, so costs should be reasonable. The roof would also be subject to the federal tax credit.

Musk keeps insisting the aesthetics are better than a regular roof, and at the end of the CC, hinted these would be more durable than asphalt shingles.

This is different than Dow Chemical making solar roof shingles and then trying to convince a few dozen roofers around the country to install them. Consumers will know about these. The main factor for someone interested in solar will be cost.

Well, if it stopped people making new asphalt shingle roofs I'd be happy. I'm a fan of metal roofs. I can't tell the difference between our 20 year old roof and a new one.

I hope they can be successful with this, and then go the obvious step further: supplying solar roofs for new construction. And then maybe construction will stop thinking of a roof as something that keeps the rain off, and roofs will be built with accessibility in mind.

Of course, in the long run, I hope that Musk is thinking beyond the roof. Home construction is a whole industry that could be disrupted. Tesla Passivhaus anyone?

 

[gavine]

Elon's "solar roof" product is a future product.

Does anyone know how far in the future?

The asphalt roof on my house in Florida is about 12 years old and Solarcity recently started working in Florida. I want solar there badly, but I'm not ready to replace the roof just yet. They might require a new roof before putting-up panels.

 

[aesculus]

I remember reading that when they decided to acquire SC a few months back this just came up as a whim. So they have not even started planning/designing it. Unless they are acquiring an asset (interesting the Dow just threw in the tool on solar shingles), it's got to be a few years away IMHO.