Tesla Glass Tile Solar Roof Update

[Reciprocity]

Here you go:

Edit: Width doesnt matter as long as you have enough width to overlap. 6" is probably enough. The top overlap is where the fasteners would go. It does not mean they have to be nails. It could just clip into a rail that is nailed or screwed into the roof. This could also be how they connect electrically. The overlap at the top is where you have triple coverage.

 

[brucet999]

Here you go:

View attachment 226974

Edit: Width doesnt matter as long as you have enough width to overlap. 6" is probably enough. The top overlap is where the fasteners would go. It does not mean they have to be nails. It could just clip into a rail that is nailed or screwed into the roof. This could also be how they connect electrically. The overlap at the top is where you have triple coverage.

Once again, you are comparing different products. That picture is slate. The flat and textured tiles are an entirely different shape - twice as wide as they are tall. There will be only about 1 1/2" overlap.

 

[MP3Mike]

In the roof picture, the reveals are twice as wide as they are tall. The tiles are 14" wide, so the reveal must be about 7" and overlap can be no more than 1 1/2".

Where are you getting the information that they are 14" wide?

 

[brucet999]

Where are you getting the information that they are 14" wide?

Directly from Tesla Solar. Scroll down to "warranty and specs"

Tesla Solar

 

[Reciprocity]

Once again, you are comparing different products. That picture is slate. The flat and textured tiles are an entirely different shape - twice as wide as they are tall. There will be only about 1 1/2" overlap.

Then I am not buying those as they would leak like a sieve. So I guess I will wait for the slate tiles, because those are proper.

Or maybe the site has an error or maybe they are only referring to the exposed/visible part. Its clear from the slate tile Elon is showing that they have the proper amount of material to allow for the proper amount of overlap.

 

[abasile]

If I'm shopping for a home, and I see two that are exactly identical in the same neighborhood, but one has a Tesla roof I'll buy it, maybe, for a $10k premium.(And that $10k premium is highly dependent on how net metering policies are going with the utility and state regulators. If it were contentious like it has been in Arizona lately, I'd flat out refuse to pay more for the house because of the solar system. Too much risk in recovering the investment.)

With a Powerwall or two, contention over net metering isn't as big a deal. Just self-consume your roof's solar production. Not much risk in that, unless you're out of town quite frequently and can't store the excess solar production while you're gone.

 

[boaterva]

Then I am not buying those as they would leak like a sieve. So I guess I will wait for the slate tiles, because those are proper.

Or maybe the site has an error or maybe they are only referring to the exposed/visible part. Its clear from the slate tile Elon is showing that they have the proper amount of material to allow for the proper amount of overlap.

I think it's clear from the pictures at the top of that page that they are 'discussing' the visible portion. No one cares (in the general public ) what a whole 'tab' of asphalt shingles looks like (a number of shingles and 'double height' for overlap) as we're talking about here. I'll bet a lot of people don't even know that shingles aren't separate pieces. And we don't even know if that's the case here (are they individual? That will increase installation costs...).

I'll bet all the dimensions at the bottom are of the 'visible' portion and the 'real' shingle/tile has to be the same as a 'normal' one (or perhaps even larger so that there is room for the electrical connections). You do have to have the normal overlap for waterproof-ness, as we've been saying. How the ventilation happens to keep the tile(s) cool is another whole thing....

 

[brucet999]

Then I am not buying those as they would leak like a sieve. So I guess I will wait for the slate tiles, because those are proper.

Or maybe the site has an error or maybe they are only referring to the exposed/visible part. Its clear from the slate tile Elon is showing that they have the proper amount of material to allow for the proper amount of overlap.

Yep, that's how it looks from the pictures, but I notice that the nailing holes don't show either, so there may also be a water channel on one side of the actual smooth and textured tiles that would extend under the adjoining tile, similar to the way concrete tiles work.

I contacted Solar City to see if the tiles are on display at the local office. I was told that tiles are supposed to be displayed at Tesla stores when they begin selling the product, but that Solar City locations are not doing Tesla Tiles, just traditional panels.

 

[kaufen]

Figured I'd reserve to get to the head of the HI queue. I'm sure there will be plenty of time for things to sort out before they get to HI.

 

[brucet999]

Further information affecting power output.

I have been shopping solar modules and find that Panasonics HIT modules are the most efficient, even better than the industry gold standard SunPower modules. They also are the least affected by temperature, about 50% better than SunPower, with 0.258%/ºC reduction below STC rated power vs Sunpower's 0.35%/ºC power loss. Also, Panasonic annual degradation is the lowest at 0.26%/yr.

Those Panasonic modules use 96 cells in a 41" wide panel, so they are about 5" square, just right size for Tesla Solar Roof tiles. Installed cost per watt of Panasonic HIT 330W modules runs around $4.50.

Assuming that Panasonic supplies their best cells for Tesla Solar Roof, the cell efficiency could be as high as 22%. Panasonic's best 96-cell module efficiency is 2.3% lower at 19.7%, so we could assume that that would be maximum for a gang of 96 Tesla tiles as well, but with 192 individual wired connectors instead of a modules integral connections, likely a little less; call it 19%.

Now, operating temperature affects all solar cells. Panasonic's HIT modules with ample air circulation under them lose 0.258%/ºC above 25ºC, the temperature at which panels get their power ratings. At 68º ambient temperature, panels with 4" air circulation beneath them run 20ºC above their STC rating, so Panasonic's HIT panels lose 5.16% of power output. But Tesla tiles ARE the roof, and so will have no such 4" air flow beneath them. They will run even hotter than normal modules; maybe 20ºC hotter, so another 5% loss of power, bringing them down to 17% efficiency.

Tesla tiles' micro louvers that make them look beautiful from street level are likely to cut efficiency 10%. That is the decrease experienced by SolarSkins from Sistine Solar, a company that camouflages traditional solar panels with images that can look like the asphalt shingles, concrete or clay tile or wood shingle roof it is mounted on. So decrease Solar Tiles 10%, bringing them down to 15%.

That is the performance level per sq foot of average solar panels, but at a far higher cost and incomparably better appearance.

 

[kwest2]

Per Electrek, each tile has a solar capacity of 12W.

Tesla Solar Roof: more details about the product through certification

 

[3Victoria]

Tesla tiles' micro louvers that make them look beautiful from street level are likely to cut efficiency 10%. That is the decrease experienced by SolarSkins from Sistine Solar, a company that camouflages traditional solar panels with images that can look like the asphalt shingles, concrete or clay tile or wood shingle roof it is mounted on. So decrease Solar Tiles 10%, bringing them down to 15%.

Tesla's microlouvres should not reduce efficiency, as edge on they would be close to invisible. In fact they might increase efficiency if they are reflective. Likely only 0.98-0.99 of non-louvred tiles.

 

[Reciprocity]

Tesla's microlouvres should not reduce efficiency, as edge on they would be close to invisible. In fact they might increase efficiency if they are reflective. Likely only 0.98-0.99 of non-louvred tiles.

Its not the louvers that cause the degradation in efficiency, its the colored and textured glass. It should be fairly minimal though.

 

[MP3Mike]

For those that are interested here are the UL filings on the Tesla Solar Roof that I could find:

• TFXX.E491360 - Prepared Roof-covering Materials, Formed or Molded Metal, Fiber-Cement, Plastic or Fire-retardant-treated Wood

• QIMS.E491360 - Mounting Systems, Mounting Devices, Clamping Devices and Ground Lugs for Use with Photovoltaic Modules and Panels

• QHZS.E491361 - Distributed Generation Wiring Systems and Harnesses

• QHZK.E491360 - Building-integrated Photovoltaic Modules and Panels

 

[brucet999]

Tesla's microlouvres should not reduce efficiency, as edge on they would be close to invisible.

True only for a short time during those few days in the year when the sun shines perpendicular to the tile.
In Los Angeles June 21:
At solar noon, sun altitude is 79º, vertical to a tile at 11º slope (about as flat as Tesla Tiles can be laid, BTW.)
At 9:30am and 4:00pm, sun altitude is 44.3º, nearly vertical to tiles at 45º slope
In Los Angels at the equinoxes:
At solar noon, sun altitude is 56º, nearly vertical to tiles at 34º slope
At 9:30am and 4:00pm, sun altitude is 33º, nearly vertical to tiles at 57º slope
In Los Angeles December 21:
At solar noon, sun altitude is 31º, nearly vertical to tiles at 59º slope
At 9:30am and 4:00pm, sun altitude is 23º, nearly vertical to tiles at 67º slope

In fact they might increase efficiency if they are reflective

I don't think so. Reflected light intensity is never equal to incident light intensity. Only reflectors beneath the cell, thus returning light that was not collected the first time through, could increase efficiency.

 

[TMSE]

Did anyone get their Tesla solar roof tiles installed?

 

[joefee]

Repost:
Tesla Energy and utility scale projects

 

[TheTalkingMule]

There's already a solar roof update thread. Can you stop bumping this one?