Tesla announces Powerwall 2 and its 'hidden' Solar Roof tiles

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The new Powerwall 2 offers double the storage capacity of the previous version.

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Read more.

If new builds use these sorts of roofing solution as part of the design then the cost of install could easily be absorbed into the construction cost to be put on the sale price such that buyers would go for these slightly more expensive houses knowing that the energy savings side would pay off the additional house price.

Man,I wish we had a company like Tesla in India. We could harness so much solar energy, too bad.

Visuals of those tiles in video look good, I'd be willing to put them on my roof if they look like this. Although, how env safe are the batteries and what's their lifespan? Not much use saving few m3 of coal if the battery disposal would be higher env stress than CO2/S02 produced from coal...

Those tiles are one of those obvious why hasn't anyone thought of that before things (technology wasn't ready?), as good as they seem though i do wonder if the manufacture and end of life disposal works out ecologically better than the alternatives, also if each of those tiles have to be wired up separately I'd hate to be the spark doing it. :)

i'd be wondering how long the tile lasts and whats the degrading % no good if they only do 50% after 3-5 yrs ?

Does anyone really mind if their roof looks like it's made of solar panels? The current panels that get bolted onto roofs look like an afterthought (which they are) so I can see why they might be viewed as a bit of an eyesore. However, if new builds could be made with solar panels as an integral part of the roof which is 1. Waterproof 2. Insulated 3. Easy to clean/repair then I don't really see why they need to be disguised as 'classic' materials?

Solar roof tiles are nothing new, they have been around for at least 15 years but weren't very efficient or cost effective. Having them mimic conventional roof tiles is a better idea due to many areas of the UK having restrictive planning laws on the style of house/materials used to keep new builds or improvements in keeping with the local area. As for the Power wall I hope the lithium batteries are safer than the ones that keep exploding in phones and laptops over the past few years. Imagine one that size going up in flames. With how reactive Lithium is I wouldn't want to be anywhere close when a fire hose is aimed at it!

I remember a couple of years ago reading somewhere that a solar panel was in development that rolled out like roofing felt, not seen anything since.
Agree with Corky34 that its one of those obvious things that you think some company is about to launch.
One would assume that the tile comes prewired to simply plug into an installed circuit so that you could change a tile easily, looking at the latter image its a two nail fitting (make sure you dont smash the panel ;-) )though how easily they would unlock from each other i dont know.
I like the look of the slte and smooth glass ones.
Depending on the cost of the tiles i would consider it.

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Originally Posted by Lanky123

Does anyone really mind if their roof looks like it's made of solar panels? The current panels that get bolted onto roofs look like an afterthought (which they are) so I can see why they might be viewed as a bit of an eyesore. However, if new builds could be made with solar panels as an integral part of the roof which is 1. Waterproof 2. Insulated 3. Easy to clean/repair then I don't really see why they need to be disguised as 'classic' materials?

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeowner_association

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Originally Posted by VijaySathyan

Man,I wish we had a company like Tesla in India. We could harness so much solar energy, too bad.

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or India can just ask Tesla to do it :p but im sure it wont be cheap lol

The solar roof is a great concept though the initial investment cost is quite high at this moment. We will need to see the payback period for usage be significantly reduced to either match or the average solar panel payback period. I would argue that much of this initial investment cost can be absorbed if the home is newly constructed but this will not offset the significant sunk cost involved in the tiles usage. Based on Tesla’s (TSLA) recent quarterly report they stated only 12 Tesla roof homes have been contacted to the grid as of May. All of these homes are in Northern California. Overall the growth of this product line is quite slow as the tiles are not in mass production at this time, this reducing the adaptation by consumers and competing brands. As a result, purchasing generic solar panels will likely yield a better return as completion has reduced the prices significantly. You can find more useful information in the link bellow: