Jordan O'BrienThe Tesla Solar Roof has the potential to revolutionise the way consumers generate power, allowing them to remain off the grid and become self-reliant. In conjunction with the Tesla Powerwall, the Solar Roof has the opportunity to reduce consumer demand on the energy grid by a considerable amount. Those who want to install one will not have long to wait either, as the Tesla Solar Roof is destined to be available in the UK from 2018.
Unlike standard solar panels, consumers needn’t have garish devices attached to the top of their roof in order to generate electricity. That’s because the Tesla Solar Roof completely replaces all the roofing tiles, with some of the tiles installed capable of generating electricity.
The density of the solar cells varies and it’s completely up to the consumer to decide what they want – whether they want a high density of solar cells no matter the cost, or to save a little bit of cash and have the cells coupled with standard glass tiles. Tesla says that it will allow users to completely customise the set-up to meet their power needs.
Generating electricity with the Tesla Solar Roof is no different to how typical solar panels would generate electricity, although it could be more expensive. To work out the cost, Tesla has launched a calculator giving consumers an idea as to how much money the Solar Roof will cost to install, as well as how much electricity it will generate. It also factors in things such as government incentives and the cost of electricity – with Tesla claiming the per sq-ft, the solar roof would cost less in the long run than a standard roof.
It’s a bold claim to make that such a technological marvel would cost less, although it’s one that the company has been able to back-up. One of the biggest selling points of the Solar Roof versus a standard roof, is the fact that the roof is backed by an ‘infinite tile warranty’ and is three times stronger than standard roofing tiles.
The Tesla Solar Roof is available in the US from this year, with a variety of styles available. That includes a textured and smooth finish, with a tuscan and slate finish set to be released at a later date. UK pre-orders are already available, with an £800 deposit required, although no installations will take place until 2018. It’s not yet known whether the installation community will be able to install the Solar Roof for their customers directly, or whether Tesla will be handling all installations.