... not just panels, but the whole roof.
http://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-says-solarcity-will-make-solar-roofs-2016-8
I think Travoli mentioned the idea of solar shingles a year or so ago. I'm guessing that what's Musk is talking about.
I have a lot of misgivings about the application process and associated costs as well as longterm viability of the underlying roof structure. We'll see.
>> lot of misgivings
Ye of little faith.
Then again...
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/602147/elon-musks-promise-of-solar-roofs-has-echoes-of-a-rust-belt-failure/
Last I looked, one of the major issues was that the shingles were a lot less efficient at converting solar energy, so the pricing works out differently. And with overproduction in China and plummeting installation labor costs for solar panels, I think the shingles are a hard sell. But right now, I don't think anyone even knows whether this is a "shingle" product of some other kind of roof module.
Still, built-in carries risks that add-on doesn't, as RC said.
Yes, he FINALLY listened. It's about time. Now... sign me up in 10 years when it's cheap and the system is proven.
Looks heavy to me. In most(?) of the US, houses aren't designed/built to support a tile roof, so the retrofit market is going to be slim, imo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRqSkR4ENAg
I like the solar roadways idea: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlTA3rnpgzU
Even if only the sidewalks were made solar, imagine how much energy could be created.
I think Musk's home battery is the less-sexy, but most interesting development in this area.
Generating power at home isn't hard. Keeping it there is. As a result most people sell it back to the grid, then buy it back later. Makes no sense unless you are a power company. Even if you don't generate power yourself, home electricity storage could become something that the power companies want us to have (or even pay for) as their widespread use would save fortunes in what the companies pay for peak power demands.
Good for preppers too! (In fact I quite like the idea of getting one for the office as a big ol' UPS system)
Quote from: Rooftop on November 02, 2016, 09:21:57 AM
Makes no sense unless you are a power company.
Actually, under the current law in force many places, this makes no sense if you *are* a power company. Most power companies have to buy it at the same price they sell it. Furthermore, their on the hook to maintain an infrastructure that can meet peak demand, but they have less and less base demand. If you're in a hot, sunny place it works out - power usage is highest when the sun is out and the AC is on. If you're in a cold, dark place, this makes it super hard for power companies.
Yes, home power and batteries will put them out of business. But maintaining peak capacity without having a full set of ratepayer during the higher profit, lower usage periods is going to kill them too.
Tesla's Solar Roof Is Finally Ready For You to Buy
Elon Musk says orders will begin today. Pricing details have yet to be revealed.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-05-10/tesla-s-solar-roof-is-finally-ready-for-you-to-buy
Holy crap!!
Company says 'typical homeowner' can expect to pay $21.85 per square foot for solar roof
Can anyone find spec sheets? I haven't seen how much energy they produce per sqft.
Quote from: rcjordan on May 11, 2017, 12:48:24 AM
Company says 'typical homeowner' can expect to pay $21.85 per square foot for solar roof
We reroofed a neighbor's house some years back (a good, old-fashioned neighborhood roof raising for a retired couple tight on cash). We roofed over the existing roof, so cheapest case. He has a steep roof that was a problem and high (above a certain point, most contractor's insurance won't apply so you need someone with a rider). For a cheap comp roof, they were getting quotes over $20K, which is probably about $15/sf for his house. If he had been looking at a premium roofing (standing seal metal, tile, etc), it would have been way more.
So this sounds pretty attractive at $22/sf with electricity added in as a bonus.
Tile roof, which is what they're competing against (tile and slate they say and slate is even pricier) costs 16,000 at the limit of 1 SD on the bell curve
http://www.homeadvisor.com/cost/roofing/install-replace-tile-roof/#
Assuming a 3000 sf house, with 1600 feet of roof space, that would be $10/sf
The quotes our neighbor was getting had a lot to do with steepness and height (scaffolding and ropes needed - way past 12/12 pitch, which is about the steepest you can walk around on. So yeah, $22/sf is high
Depending on the design of the roof, it might make sense to do a solar roof on the south-facing pitches and regular shingles on the rest.
>south-facing pitches and regular shingles on the rest
My thought as well.
>depending on the design
Couldn't look any worse than the current array of panels
I have a 7/12 pitch using 50 squares (square is roofer talk for 100 sq ft.) of asphalt shingle. About 6 years ago, I replaced the old 3-tab shingles with architectural shingles. Home Depot is advertising them today for $27/bundle = $81/square. = .81 sq/ft. Double that for starter strips, felt paper, staples, etc. and materials = < $2/sq ft. Stripping the old roof is cheap, and using the old rule of thumb 40% materials / 60% labor and we're coming in at $5/sq ft.
I've texted a roofer I know. We'll see if I'm close.
I like Musk but China is the dominate player IMO
Saw that a BIG firm filed BK this week - can't find the name...
2009 to 2010
Bankrupt, closed, acquired
Advent Solar (emitter wrap-through Si) acquired by Applied Materials
Applied Solar (solar roofing) acquired by Quercus Trust
OptiSolar (a-Si on a grand scale) closed
Ready Solar (PV installation) acquired by SunEdison
Solasta (nano-coaxial solar) closed
SV Solar (low-concentration PV) closed
Senergen (depositing silane onto free-form metallurgical-grade Si substrates) closed
Signet Solar (a-Si) bankrupt
Sunfilm (a-Si) bankrupt
Wakonda (GaAs) closed
2011
Bankrupt, closed
EPV Solar (a-Si) bankrupt
Evergreen (drawn Si) bankrupt
Solyndra (CIGS) bankrupt
SpectraWatt (c-Si) bankrupt
Stirling Energy Systems (dish engine) bankrupt
Acquisition, sale
Ascent Solar (CIGS) acquired by TFG Radiant
Calyxo (CdTe) acquired by Solar Fields from Q.cells
HelioVolt (CIGS) acquired by Korea's SK Innovation
National Semiconductor Solar Magic (panel optimizers) exited systems business
NetCrystal (silicon on flexible substrate) acquired by Solar Semiconductor
Soliant (CPV) acquired by Emcore
2012
Bankrupt, closed
Abound Solar (CdTe) bankrupt
AQT (CIGS) closed
Ampulse (thin silicon) closed
Arise Technology (PV modules) bankrupt
Azuray (microinverters) closed
BP (c-Si panels) exits solar business
Centrotherm (PV manufacturing equipment) bankrupt
CSG (c-Si on glass) closed by Suntech
Day4 Energy (cell interconnects) delisted from TSX exchange
ECD (a-Si) bankrupt
Energy Innovations (CPV) bankrupt
Flexcell (a-Si roll-roll BIPV) closed
GlobalWatt (solar) closed
GreenVolts (CPV) closed
Global Solar Energy (CIGS) closed
G24i (DSCs) bankrupt in 2012, re-emerged as G24i Power with new investors
Hoku (polysilicon) shut down its Idaho polysilicon production facility
Inventux (a-Si) bankrupt
Konarka (OSCs) bankrupt
Odersun (CIGS) bankrupt
Pramac (a-Si panels built with equipment from Oerlikon) insolvent
Pairan (Germany inverters) insolvent
Ralos (developer) bankrupt
REC Wafer (c-Si) bankrupt
Satcon (BoS) bankrupt
Schott (c-Si) exits c-Si business
Schuco (a-Si) shutting down its a-Si business
Sencera (a-Si) closed
Siliken (c-Si modules) closed
Skyline Solar (LCPV) closed
Siemens (CSP, inverters, BOS) divestment from solar
Solar Millennium (developer) insolvent
Solarhybrid (developer) insolvent
Sovello (Q.cells, Evergreen, REC JV) bankrupt
SolarDay (c-Si modules) insolvent
Solar Power Industries (PV modules) bankrupt
Soltecture (CIGS BIPV) bankrupt
Sun Concept (developer) bankrupt
Acquisition, fire sale, restructuring
Oelmaier (Germany inverters) insolvent, bought by agricultural supplier Lehner Agrar
Q.Cells (c-Si) insolvent, acquired by South Korea's Hanwha
Sharp (a-Si) backing away from a-Si, retiring 160 of its 320 megawatts in Japan
Solibro (CIGS) Q-Cells unit acquired by China's Hanergy
Solon (c-Si) acquired by UAE's Microsol
Scheuten Solar (BIPV) bankrupt, then acquired by Aikosolar
SolFocus (CPV) layoffs, restructuring for sale
Sunways (c-Si, inverters) bought by LDK, restructuring to focus on BIPV and storage
2013
Bankrupt, closed
Bosch (c-Si PV module) exits module business
Concentrator Optics (CPV) bankrupt
Suntech Wuxi (c-Si) bankrupt
Acquisition, sale, restructuring
Diehl (Germany inverters) inverter division sold to PE firm mutares AG
ISET (CIGS) moving into "microsolar"
MiaSolé (CIGS) acquired by China's Hanergy
Nanosolar (CIGS) restructuring for sale
NuvoSun (CIGS) acquired by Dow
Twin Creeks (kerfless Si) acquired by GT Advanced Technology
Wuerth Solar (installer) business turned over to BayWa
My roofer is currently quoting $2 sq ft turnkey if there is only one layer of old shingles and the pitch is walk-able.
Keep in mind this has always been a product intended to compete with premium products, not comp shingles. So you would compare to metal, slate or tile. According to Angie's List, those would be $6-$17/sf assuming a walkable pitch, but could go over $40/sf for high-end tiles
https://www.angieslist.com/articles/real-cost-new-roof.htm
This is a Tesla S product, not a Model 3 - i.e. not aimed at the bottom or even average consumer.
On another angle, it's the most brilliant lead gen ever - generate massive hype for a product that 99% of consumers can't afford, launch it without pricing, get all kinds of people to ask for quotes, create massive database of people interested in solar. If price comes down or new product launches, market to them.