Solar shingles aren't a new idea...so far they haven't faired too well in the market. Dow stopped their shingle program (
Dow Chemical Sheds Its Solar Shingle Business) Hopefully TeslaCity has a better plan.
I think there's supposed to be a cost savings in an original installation, or a reroof. The problem is that a lot of the marketplace isn't in the market for a new roof all the time at the same time they decide to go solar. But, if this product is mature and in good working order and desirable, then whenever a new roof goes in, this is an option the home owner/builder can use. If mature enough, it could even spur a reroof when the solar goes in for roofs that are relatively near the end of their lifespans. It would be a good thing for a serious solar provider that wants to integrate into a fuller line of products (such as a Tesla Energy solar provider) to have available. This, of course, is assuming that it is a good product (good roof and good solar power); it has to meet fire codes, has to be relatively cost appropriate, has to look good, has to stop sun and water ingress (as well as confer the shielding from heat advantages that solar does on roofs), and catch and convert a high proportion of the available solar energy. That's not a slam dunk just because you want it to be. It would be great to have in the portfolio if it meets those criteria, and if they are even close to good enough, they could theoretically innovate the rest in future models.
That article was light on details about the Dow product. From my knowledge, there's only been a few shingle solar panels, and most of them suffered from just being bad products.
Just look at
FlexsoLyt™ Solar Technology from Dow and tell me what you think in terms of a few generations of new products down the line. First, as they are, they are kind of, well, immature looking. Take that product line a few generations further, and suddenly it looks like it could use innovation, research, integration and design to make it into a more integrated product line.
I don't want to say this outright, but what if you take those pictures and combine that with some of the Silevo tech and install it --- well, on the types of things you see in those pictures. That MIGHT be one area they are considering, and might not. Integrated roof products are considered very vegan right now -- just downright dumb and unpopular. Zoom ahead a few decades, and we'll know if integrated solar is commonplace. In our roads, sidewalks, roofs, windows, walls, even perhaps other man-made surfaces exposed to the sun that use energy. Those products wouldn't make sense if they don't collect a LOT of solar energy, and/or don't look GREAT, and/or don't have structural soundness for function (whatever they are integrated to be).
