Trying to keep up with all the Tesla solar tile hype? You’re not alone!

You’ve got to hand it Elon Musk; he sure knows how to build product anticipation. News of Tesla’s foray into rooftop solar tiles has been a major buzz over the past few months. After all, Tesla’s roof tiles seem to answer one of the ongoing negatives concerning PV array technology: lack of curb appeal. Tesla’s tiles look like roofing products you’d see anywhere. No more unsightly solar panel arrays sitting on top of roof structure.

Tesla’s cost estimation for their solar tiles, including long term energy savings, will vary based on local electricity costs.
(source: Tesla)

Tesla doesn’t mess around when it comes to describing the importance of their new solar roof tile. “Tesla’s mission is to accelerate the world’s transition to a sustainable energy future by creating products that are so compelling, there is no alternative.” Have a concern about cost? Tesla has an answer for that too. “Solar Roof is more affordable than conventional roofs because in most cases, it ultimately pays for itself by reducing or eliminating a home’s electricity bill,” the company says. The trick is to correctly estimate how many solar tiles a house needs based on its expected energy demand, and then install only the number needed. The rest of the roof would be covered in Tesla’s look-alike tiles, ie. less the solar bit. The company even provides a Solar Roof calculator to help homeowners estimate the number of solar tiles their house would need.

Lots of sizzle….but where is the steak?
The Telsa website offers even more financial sizzle, all with the intent of making the switch to solar tiles more compelling. Despite this, there are no actual prices shown anywhere for the Telsa product. And therein lies concerns for many observers.

The global housing industry is marching relentless towards Net Zero Energy (NZE). At an estimated cost (fromTesla) of US$21.85 per square foot, customers are lining up to place advance orders. And while Tesla originally said their solar roof tiles would be available this past April, that has now been pushed back to at least summer, and even then only two of the four styles will be offered, Smooth and Textured. The other two, Tuscan and Slate, won’t be available until “early 2018”. That’s for the U.S. market. The rest of the world including Canada will have to wait until sometime in 2018 for any deliveries.

The good news is that pilot manufacturing will take place within two months, with the main production facility to start shortly after that at Panasonic’s Gigafactory2 in Buffalo, NY.. Where will customers actually buy their Tesla solar roof tiles? According to a statement from Tesla, the solar tiles and the companion Powerwall 2.0 storage battery unit will be sold at dedicated Tesla stores, some 70 of which have been planned for the U.S.A. and beyond.

Cars are built in a factory; roof tiles need to be installed
Another concern is installation. Little has been forthcoming about who will install the solar tiles, and those who might be suitable installers don’t yet know exactly what the tiles look like and what is involved. “What about peaks, valleys, hips, slopes and flashing?” some roofing experts ask. No one has an answer.

Don’t worry, be happy!
However, that hasn’t stopped the company from promising a bright, solar-powered future with a long term financial payback, which varies of course based on local electricity costs. As for the corporation itself, in its report on 2016 full year earnings, Tesla boasted revenue of $7.0 billion but continues to lose money each quarter and carries massive debt. And the cash balance that grew $300 million over the last quarter to $3.4 billion that seems to calm nervous investors? Some skeptics worry that like the thousands of orders on the books for Tesla’s new Model 3 electric car, the company is living off advance funds while it works out the details. One wonders how much of that cash on hand represent deposits for future delivery obligations for cars and solar roof tiles.

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