Most homeowners are familiar with what a solar roof looks like today. It's not easy to miss the solar panels which sit on top of todays roofs and many people don't find them terribly attractive. So if you're considering a solar roof today, you have to evaluate the cost versus savings on your energy bills, plus the impact on your home's curb appeal.
What If a Solar Roof Looked Like a Traditional Roof?
What If a Solar Roof Looked Like a Traditional Roof?You might want to reduce your carbon footprint or lower your monthly utility costs but find the choices today lacking. Would you feel differently about using solar energy if you didn't see the solar panels?
That choice will soon be available from a name you recognize, but someone that doesn't traditionally play in the housing industry. On October 28, 2016 … Tesla founder and CEO Elon Musk announced new Tesla solar roof products that he knows will reinvent the industry. There's now a roofing product that looks as good (or better) as today's roofing materials, with the ability to capture solar energy.
Unlike many new products that come in “one size fits all”, the new solar roof panels from Tesla will come in 4 style and quite possibly, multiple colors in each style (we'll have to wait to see on this). You have a choice of textured glass tiles, smooth glass tiles, Tuscan (typically clay, ceramic or concrete) glass tile and slate glass tile.
What's magical about these solar shingles is from above the're transparent so they can absorb the sun's energy, while viewed from below they're opaque and look like regular shingles. Want to learn more about a new type of solar roof?
- An overview of these products from a technology perspective, TechCrunch … These are Tesla’s stunning new solar roof tiles for homes, plus Tesla’s Powerwall 2 packs over twice the energy storage which store extra energy for future use.
- Consumer Reports tries to estimate prices for the new solar roof, Here's How Much Tesla's New Solar Roof Could Cost.
- Travel back in time and join the announcement of these products, with video at Tesla.com/Solar.
Have you installed or thought about solar panels in the past? Will these new products make it easier for you to invest in solar enegy? We'd love for you to share your ideas below and if you want to leave more about solar energy, here are some books we can recommend.
Solar Electricity Handbook: PV system design & installation
Solar Energy for Beginners: Solar power systems, panels & cellsThe Solar House: Passive solar architecture for heating and cooling
&
Leave a Reply