Solar Glass V3 + 2 PW ordered May 2, 2020

[jboy210]

Update:

Tesla just sent me the redesign, maximizing my roof for solar production and added a 3rd PW. New layout is 14KW + 3 PW.

View attachment 544359

Installation is still tentatively scheduled for early July.

Looks like the option we selected. To get from 9.2kW to 12+ they had to install panels on the north side.

One thing I would caution is depending upon the slope of your roof, often the North side will produce very little. Our North side did not start to kick in until mid-April and there are still some areas that produce very little power and may not really produce until close to the solstice.

We were warned of this by the install team. Because even though the roof looks like it is getting sun in an area does not mean it will produce electricity. The sun needs to be really on the tiles. The so called solar hours are when they really produce power.

 

[gigawatt1010]

Thanks @jboy210! Can you see through the app which PVs are producing solar in real time? I’m mind blown if that’s the case. Getting really excited.

 

[jboy210]

Thanks @jboy210! Can you see through the app which PVs are producing solar in real time? I’m mind blown if that’s the case. Getting really excited.

Unfortunately you cannot see how much each section of the roof is producing. That would be great. My guess is the information is available since the inverters (Delta M series) we have are connected via the inverter gateway to the Tesla servers. But, people have said the data feed is encrypted and there is no way for owners to access the information. It would be great if the inverters had an API we could access this gatesway like the Tesla Energy/Powerwall gateway that handles the power switching and provides data to the Tesla App.

 

[PDACPA]

I live in Florida on the coast and understand that Tesla now meets the wind codes

Where did you read that? I received my Tesla Glass layout, but sent it back for some design changes (they emailed a few days after to say they needed time to respond) and I asked about the wind rating. The Tesla glass documents indicated 130 mph rating and I think where I live we need 140.

 

[xhawk101]

To live in Florida have a design for 11 kilowatt system on a 3300 square foot house. Am thinking I should ask it to be increased in capacity. Don't have power use history since we just moved in. also it is amazing what other companies will say to bad mouth tesla. " Did you see that roof that was installed in Orlando it looks terrible with lots of uneven surfaces Etc.... electricity and heat don't mix saying that it is likely to get too hot and that panel should be elevated off the roof for cooling"


that being said I would like to see in person and installed roof if anyone knows of one in the Tampa Bay Region let me know thanks!

 

[jboy210]

To live in Florida have a design for 11 kilowatt system on a 3300 square foot house. Am thinking I should ask it to be increased in capacity. Don't have power use history since we just moved in. also it is amazing what other companies will say to bad mouth tesla. " Did you see that roof that was installed in Orlando it looks terrible with lots of uneven surfaces Etc.... electricity and heat don't mix saying that it is likely to get too hot and that panel should be elevated off the roof for cooling"


that being said I would like to see in person and installed roof if anyone knows of one in the Tampa Bay Region let me know thanks!

FWIW the solarroof tiles are elevated off the roof boards. There is a gap of about 1/2-3/4". This is constant. So, if there is a wave it is due to the carpenters who put in the roof. The tiles are glass and do not flex the way a shingle would to hide the flaws. We have slight wave in one part of our roof but it is very minor.

 

[gigawatt1010]

Update:

I called Tesla yesterday and politely asked if I can add the GW2 to my layout. They updated my layout just now with the GW2.

Bad news though - I’m still in the permitting stage due to the shelter in place my town was under when Tesla applied back in early May. I was told they will try again this week.

 

[BrettS]

Bad news though - I’m still in the permitting stage due to the shelter in place my town was under when Tesla applied back in early May. I was told they will try again this week.

That might actually be good news in disguise. In my case, at least, they needed electrical drawings for the permit and my electrical drawings showed the gateway 2. It’s likely that if your permit had already been approved or even applied for they probably wouldn’t have been able to make the change. At least not without redoing the permit.

 

[xhawk101]

FWIW the solarroof tiles are elevated off the roof boards. There is a gap of about 1/2-3/4". This is constant. So, if there is a wave it is due to the carpenters who put in the roof. The tiles are glass and do not flex the way a shingle would to hide the flaws. We have slight wave in one part of our roof but it is very minor.

Great to know thanks. I've ordered my roof with 15kw size. Awaiting permitting!

 

[woferry]

A house a few doors down from me just finished a v3 installation Wednesday (tear-off started Tuesday the week before). Our homebuilder clearly did a very good job at a flat roof structure, no unevenness/gaps show in his roof or mine (though I think the smaller v2 tiles were more forgiving to uneven roofs anyway).

 

[gigawatt1010]

Thanks @BrettS, you’re correct. Can’t wait to have mine installed. I’m at the hurry up and wait stage.

@xhawk101, @woferry - please enter your info on the Solar Roof Tracker. Thanks!

 

[xhawk101]

Thanks @BrettS, you’re correct. Can’t wait to have mine installed. I’m at the hurry up and wait stage.

@xhawk101, @woferry - please enter your info on the Solar Roof Tracker. Thanks!

Done!

 

[woferry]

It's not my roof, so I'm not entering it, sorry. And he's "not a computer guy" in his own words, so I don't expect we'll ever see him here.

 

[gigawatt1010]

Just updating this thread. I had a very disappointing call with Tesla Roof advisor today.

When I put in my order, things moved relatively quickly. I was even told that I may be getting an install date of early to mid-July. Unfortunately, right after I entered in the permitting stage (late May), it sat there.

Last I called them was June 17 (see my post above) to ask about an update on the permitting stage and to see if they can switch my Gateway to the new version. They told me they're still stuck with the permitting due to the pandemic closures, however, they did update my config with a GW2.

Today, I called and spoke with a guy name Dominic. He was not as enthusiastic as the previous advisors I talked to and said there really is no update at this point and that installers in the east coast are pretty scarce at the moment. He said he's not even sure if it's going to be installed this year!

Now I'm seriously having second thoughts since the incentives that played a big factor on my decision to pull the trigger might not be happening.

Anyone in the east coast still on track with their install?

 

[jboy210]

Just updating this thread. I had a very disappointing call with Tesla Roof advisor today.

When I put in my order, things moved relatively quickly. I was even told that I may be getting an install date of early to mid-July. Unfortunately, right after I entered in the permitting stage (late May), it sat there.

Last I called them was June 17 (see my post above) to ask about an update on the permitting stage and to see if they can switch my Gateway to the new version. They told me they're still stuck with the permitting due to the pandemic closures, however, they did update my config with a GW2.

Today, I called and spoke with a guy name Dominic. He was not as enthusiastic as the previous advisors I talked to and said there really is no update at this point and that installers in the east coast are pretty scarce at the moment. He said he's not even sure if it's going to be installed this year!

Now I'm seriously having second thoughts since the incentives that played a big factor on my decision to pull the trigger might not be happening.

Anyone in the east coast still on track with their install?

Well that is bad. I hope some of the installers free up. My guess is the drop in the price and new conventional Tesla solar panels has really increased the work load on the division.

And not be political, but maybe if we get a change in the Oval Office and Congress the incentive programs will be extended at current or higher levels.

 

[gigawatt1010]

Thanks @jboy210

I'm amazed how back in June 17, my conversation with the advisor was all positive and he even updated my layout to replace the old GW to the new GW2. He said we're still on track and there weren't any concerns with the schedule since NY is opening up slowly again.

Fast forward to yesterday, the person I spoke with was all doom and gloom. He said he's not even sure if I can get the install done this year, let alone hoping to have a PTO by 12/31/2020 to avail of the incentives.

I'll give it another shot and pretend that the employee was just probably not having a good day. I'll call them again next week hoping I hear a different tone.

Political or not, I don't know why people don't realize that climate change is real. This pandemic has reduced pollution all over the place since people were not driving their ICE cars. If that's not proof, I don't know what else.

 

[wjgjr]

I wonder if Tesla has just re-located and scheduled crews in states where they could keep working. I know that at least some of the crew that did our solar roof install in Feb/March had just come back from the west coast where I think they were doing NorCal installs in the winter. It definitely sucks where it hits people in states that are being more cautious (and, arguably, more responsible.) I'm certainly glad we got in just under the wire before coronavirus shutdowns potentially stopped install work.

As far as incentives go, one never knows what Congress will do as it can often be nonsensical. A few years back, we got our windows and doors replaced with energy-star rated items. At the time, there was no federal incentive as the program had lapsed. Half a year after our install - I think it was either December or maybe the following January, Congress re-authorized the program and made it fully retroactive. So, for a whole year consumers were making purchases with no expectation of a credit (and companies were pricing accordingly) and suddenly they threw money at us. Can't complain, but it certainly did not make sense in terms of incentivizing behavior.

I have to think Congress will look at extending the incentives (beyond the 10% baseline starting 2021) but it could end up being a longer step-down as opposed to bumping it back to 26% or 30%. While it is a great incentive for the consumer and the environment, I would have to guess both that it is rather expensive and that it seems to be working fairly well as-is. That is to say, the incentives are encouraging more people to buy solar and, importantly, costs are dropping as the money flowing into the industry is helping with both innovation and economies of scale. If the goal of the program was to help jump-start solar and other alternative energy solutions, I'd say it's done a pretty good job.

For Tesla itself, I would not be surprised at all if they drop their prices for the solar roof in 2021 to make up for the lower credit. They seem to be pretty aware of that number and have responded as the incentives change - both with autos and solar. I generally feel like Tesla has done a good job helping consumers take advantage of the credits and also understanding the purpose of the credits for manufacturers to ramp up their business and find ways to reduce costs.

 

[gigawatt1010]

100% agree @wjgjr Tesla did do a great job at sticking to their mission of accelerating the transition to sustainable energy. This morning I caught a YouTube video of Elon's chief of staff, Sam Teller, being interviewed about Elon and the companies that he runs. I thought it was a pretty good interview and gives us an insight on how Elon runs his companies and attracts and keeps talent. Highly recommended watch:

 

[jboy210]

Thanks @jboy210

I'm amazed how back in June 17, my conversation with the advisor was all positive and he even updated my layout to replace the old GW to the new GW2. He said we're still on track and there weren't any concerns with the schedule since NY is opening up slowly again.

Fast forward to yesterday, the person I spoke with was all doom and gloom. He said he's not even sure if I can get the install done this year, let alone hoping to have a PTO by 12/31/2020 to avail of the incentives.

I'll give it another shot and pretend that the employee was just probably not having a good day. I'll call them again next week hoping I hear a different tone.

Political or not, I don't know why people don't realize that climate change is real. This pandemic has reduced pollution all over the place since people were not driving their ICE cars. If that's not proof, I don't know what else.

Hopefully the guy was just having a bad day. We are still in a holding pattern with getting final inspection and moving on to PTO. Roof was installation was done March 2. Final version of permit is being bounced back and forth between Tesla and the city inspectors. Latest was 1 to 3 weeks longer! We played with the system a bit and saw it produce over 11 kW (rated for 12kW+) in April. I just want it running like this all the time.

 

[gigawatt1010]

Just a quick July 13 update - haven't been able to get them via the number where I always get someone, (877)701-7652. Anyone have a better number? I was so excited that this was moving fast until that bombshell a couple of weeks ago.

Anyone else notice a delay with their install?