Tesla selling power-generating solar roofs

The electric car manufacturer Tesla has included roof panels which use solar power to generate electricity for households among its products, the company reported.

Customers worldwide can order a solar roof at Tesla's webpage. The company will start installing solar roofs in the USA in June, beginning with California, and they will be made available abroad in 2018.

The glass panels presented by Tesla last autumn look like traditional roof tiles or like stone tiles. They feature photovoltaic cells, which aren't visible from the street.

Tesla's webpage features a calculator which potential buyers can use to calculate the general price of the roof based on house size, amount of light in the area they live in and tax exemptions. They can also pay the deposit of USD 1,000 in order to reserve the product.

According to the company, the purchase and installation of the Tesla solar panels cost around USD 450 per square meter in the USA, whereas a square meter of stone tiles costs around USD 180.

However, most houses require only 30 to 40% of the roof to be covered with solar panels in order for the necessary amount of electricity to be generated, whereas the remaining portion can feature regular tiles.

Although more expensive, a roof with photovoltaic cells pays off in the long term through electricity savings. Tesla provides a guarantee for the roof equal to the life cycle of the house.

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, didn't want to guess how many orders the company could expect in 2017.

– It will be very difficult and it will take a while. There will be some stumbles along the way, obviously. That's the vision for the future we think is the only sensible vision of the future - Musk said.

Tesla Motors United States

solar roof

solar roofs

power generating solar roofs

Elon Musk

production of electricity

production of electrical energy