Tesla Glass Tile Solar Roof Update

[Zaxxon]

Has Tesla released the specs on the solar side of things? The calculator comes up with a black-box "your solar roof can generate $XX,XXX of energy over 30 years."

Aha! Found the FAQ page. They use 'average price of electricity in your area, adjusted by 2% annually.' However, nowhere do I find the power specs of the solar roof tiles themselves. Their roof ratings are listed, but there's no nameplate Wattage rating that I can find, nor anything detailing the specifics of the 30-year power warranty. Anyone else had luck finding these?

 

[doubleohwhat]

Wow...the cost surprised me, and not in a good way. It's more than I would pay to have new roofing put in, its' even more than I'd pay if I were to put in a new roof AND a new solar system.

Same here. A new slate roof would cost me $45k and the solar system I'd like to install would cost me $30k. The website is quoting me $116k for the solar roof. Gonna have to pass on this one and see if the price comes down a bit over the next few years. Something in the $17-18 square foot range would be the max for me.

 

[Piney999]

These are a bit more then I was expecting... I guess I will need to wait and see how much the solar panels will be. I still love the idea!

 

[electracity]

I thought the roof would be pricey. It's extra pricey.

It should still be attractive for high end housing.

 

[JohnSnowNW]

Same here. A new slate roof would cost me $45k and the solar system I'd like to install would cost me $30k. The website is quoting me $116k for the solar roof. Gonna have to pass on this one and see if the price comes down a bit over the next few years. Something in the $17-18 square foot range would be the max for me.

To be fair, and maybe this is subjective, but you're paying for appearance. I think putting solar panels on a brand new slate roof to be considerably less attractive. YMMV.

 

[Mario Kadastik]

Well the one thing I checked was that if I adjusted the % of solar tiles to 0 on a 3000ft2 roof I got roof cost of 33000$. Then going to 10% I got 42300$. This means that 300ft2 of solar tiles costs 9700$ more than the glass tiles alone. So the solar tiles extra cost is 32.3$ / ft2. Now if someone else has a good idea how to use the calculator to derive the total tile cost of the equation we might be getting somewhere.

 

[Eclectic]

Early adopters always pay more for higher risk.

That's certainly not the way I look at it. I was an early adopter of the Model S and I paid more for lots of things, but not for the higher risk of owning the car. I was willing to accept the risks, given the perceived and anticipated benefits, but I did not pay a premium to be subject to those risks.

In the case of the solar roof, I'm having a hard time seeing what the benefits over a traditional roof + solar system are, and in fact I thought there would be some sort of economy in integrating the two things (roof + solar). So I'd actually accept the risk of the Tesla roof not fulfilling its promises but only at a lower price, not a higher price, than what it is meant to replace.

 

[boaterva]

Reserved also to see how this goes. I was expecting a lot lower price when they were saying the cost without the power generation benefit would be comparable to a replacement roof. Well, I can get a replacement shingle room from between $5K-$10K for my 2500 square foot-two story house. So, that's nowhere close. For a great looking roof, power generation, and Powerwalls, it may be a good deal.

But not exactly as rumored. The room itself is estimated at $60K (70%, but why not 70% coverage if you have it...). (No credits, that ends up with $300 over 30 years, lol.)

 

[electracity]

I'm having a hard time seeing what the benefits over a traditional roof + solar system are

For some people the solar roof is the only acceptable way to have solar. It's not a decision between PV type.

 

[brucet999]

Cool, time to subscribe to another thread. I've got a "tuscan" style roof that I know will need to be replaced in 5-10 years. I'll be following this closely to help plan for a Solar Roof and PW2/3/X to go with it.

I am curious as to why your Tuscan roof would need replacing in 5-10 years. I see Spanish clay tile roofs all over SoCal, many of them nearing a century old.

 

[jgillispie]

There are some other factors hidden in which could sway things but it's quite pricey for now.

State credit not added in: For instance in a nearby state there's an additional up to $5000.
New housing won't have the labor and waste costs for removing an old roof.

 

[electracity]

I'm perplexed by the wiring. These tiles must sit on a grid which lays on the roof deck.

 

[Gforce1]

Really need the specs nailed down more to be able to compare any of this ballpark pricing to a roof and panels. Reserved anyway because I am hoping it will all fall into place but I need kw ratings to be able to do proper math. Hopefully there's more info shortly.

 

[phigment]

Well the one thing I checked was that if I adjusted the % of solar tiles to 0 on a 3000ft2 roof I got roof cost of 33000$. Then going to 10% I got 42300$. This means that 300ft2 of solar tiles costs 9700$ more than the glass tiles alone. So the solar tiles extra cost is 32.3$ / ft2. Now if someone else has a good idea how to use the calculator to derive the total tile cost of the equation we might be getting somewhere.

Taking a really quick look at the source code on the page I see:
solarTileCostPerSqFt":42,"standardTileCostPerSqFt":11

 

[anticitizen13.7]

That's certainly not the way I look at it. I was an early adopter of the Model S and I paid more for lots of things, but not for the higher risk of owning the car. I was willing to accept the risks, given the perceived and anticipated benefits, but I did not pay a premium to be subject to those risks.

In the case of the solar roof, I'm having a hard time seeing what the benefits over a traditional roof + solar system are, and in fact I thought there would be some sort of economy in integrating the two things (roof + solar). So I'd actually accept the risk of the Tesla roof not fulfilling its promises but only at a lower price, not a higher price, than what it is meant to replace.

To be more specific, higher risk is inherent in early adoption of a product. I don't think people typically find higher risk to be a product feature, unless they have a weird liking for thrills.

 

[brucet999]

In the case of the solar roof, I'm having a hard time seeing what the benefits over a traditional roof + solar system are…

So, just how severely impaired is your vision?

 

[jeff mccabe]

Ok, is it just me , but watching to video showing various tiles shattering is deceptive ! They hold the Tesla glass tile horizontally, with clamps much closer together. Show all samples held the same way !!
Come on Tesla, your better than this

Jeff

 

[SabrToothSqrl]

Here in PA, will this ever be financially beneficial?
Total bill on my electric is $0.113 kWh... and with natural gas, I don't see that going up anytime soon.

And plugging in 2 Teslas (soon, right)? at night means mostly eating from PP&L... so... can I save money or.. no?

The cool factor is great, but show me the green (cash).

 

[jbcarioca]

I am now evaluating a new roof for my house. The Solar Roof cost will be, if their table is all-inclusive, almost identical with the ceramic barrel tiles we have just priced, although the Solar Roof will be a different color. A few Powerwalls will let me eliminate utility interconnect. With electricity price of 27.8 cents kWh I get pretty quick payback. The way I see this people who live in high electrical cost areas such as CA and HI and the majority of countries will find rapid payback too. No question, conventional solar panels will be cheaper and more efficient. So, I think this makes perfect sense for new construction or roof replacement projects, but otherwise traditional solar panels are the was to go unless the aesthetics justify the extra costs.

If my house were in the available country order list I'd have already ordered. It isn't so I haven't.

I think the Solar Roof will make quite good money, and will be installed mostly with new house construction, where the marginal cost reduces dramatically and the marginal benefit can be disproportionate.

I haven't a clue how to value this yet, in TSLA terms.

 

[electracity]

A few Powerwalls will let me eliminate utility interconnect.

Not if you want to live in a normal functioning house.

I think the Solar Roof will make quite good money, and will be installed mostly with new house construction, where the marginal cost reduces dramatically and the marginal benefit can be disproportionate.

I agree