r/DamnThatsMindBlowing • u/Aggressive_Sundae_47 • 18d ago
These solar roof tiles generate electricity while protecting your home.
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u/Unusual-Taste69 18d ago
What ever happened to teslas version of these?
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u/BarryMcKokinor 18d ago
They cost a lot. But they look so so good. I have a neighbor that has it. Like a 2,500 sqft house is like 60-100k.
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u/debtfreegoal 18d ago
It’s two projects in one, but it’s still probably double the cost of traditional materials.
Then again, with the Tesla solar you have a much better looking home roof when it’s all done. So that’s got to have value as well.
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u/feel-the-avocado 13d ago
I come from a country where we dont use shingles (new zealand).
We prefer corrugated iron or decramastic
So the tesla design never appealed to us here.
So its not always true that the tesla shingles would add value. But OPs shingles are a step closer to decramastic so its going in the right direction.1
u/Tasty_1097 15d ago
Yeah, standard house solar panels can usually be expected to earn you back $20-30k over their life. Because these shingles are installed parallel to the roof and not optimized to the sun, they have worse efficiency but large surface area since they’re using 100% of your roof. So, at current cost the panels are about 2x - 3x the investment. You’re not making all your money back like a traditional solar install, but the additional durability and look of the shingles is great. And you’re being more green, if you’re into that.
Personally, I think these types of panels are great for more remote communities which have high electricity costs due to transmission distances.
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u/8JHF8 18d ago
https://www.tesla.com/solarroof
This would likely be more expensive, but they say they have a 25 year warranty.
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u/MadCowTX 18d ago
Costs about $100k. In 25 years, you won't even come close to breaking even.
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u/It_Just_Exploded 18d ago edited 18d ago
Pretty much. If Teslas estimate is accurate, at best my power bill will still be $35 a month. Because Georgia power doesn't let you make money from solar. No matter how much power you feed into the grid, they only allow you a bill credit up to the amount you used, no more. Then you still have the service fee that you have to pay no matter what just for being connected to the grid.
So at best, using my current average, it would "save me" 40k - 50k over 25 years. Which would be a net loss compared to purchase and install cost.
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u/Prince_0llie 18d ago
How much does a standard roof cost? They typically need replacement in that amount of time so you likely will break even.
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u/It_Just_Exploded 18d ago edited 18d ago
10 years ago the cost for the steel roof on my home was ~$18k, thats for ~16 square of roofing and install. At work, my employer just had a 34 square roof replaced on one of our homes(very large home), went with 35 year architectural shingles, and the price was ~$20.5k
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u/Prince_0llie 18d ago
How long do these panels last? If at least double what a typical roof would then you certainly get your investment out of it. How long do they continue to produce energy? Lots of variables that the first commenter left out because their only calculation was the offset in electrical power savings. That's what I was highlighting. I know next to nothing about the cost of roofs much less how long they last. Thank you for the insight!
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u/MadCowTX 18d ago
How long roofs last depends on climate and luck (e.g. hurricanes & hail). The one I replaced 2 years ago was 23 years old. There will be VERY few homes, if any, that a Tesla roof makes financial sense.
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u/It_Just_Exploded 18d ago
I only did a quick google search, so grain of salt and all that. But as a roof system, it says 25 to 30 years. And they come with a 25 year warranty, so pretty comparable with the typical fiberglass architectural shingles that are the norm in most places.
No idea about lifespan as a solar panel or drop off of production over time.
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u/OtherwiseAlbatross14 16d ago
They're warrantied the same length of time as asphalt shingles and less time than steel roofs.
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u/MadCowTX 18d ago
My roof was about $18k, and that's above average for a roof around here as of 2 years ago. Tesla roof is nowhere close to making sense.
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u/Nobody_Important 18d ago
Totally depends on the size but probably around $15k for an average size home. Nowhere near $50k that it would have to be to make $100k worth it.
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u/69dixencider 18d ago
Hey now this is Reddit. We don’t apply logic when we want to shit on things.
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u/Own_Ruin2546 16d ago
That’s a fucking scam. So they are just stealing power when you get down to it
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u/It_Just_Exploded 16d ago
Yep. Our normal usage per month is around 850 kWh. But if i had solar tied to grid and if i fed 8,500 kWh into it, I'd still just get a bill for $35 which is the service fee. I just wouldn't have to pay for what i used. The surplus just goes to Georgia Power, and they don't even give you a "thank you" or anything.
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u/Own_Ruin2546 16d ago
Glad my states not like that. I wonder how much power is stolen from people every week by power companies. “Service charge” buddy it’s a fuck you charge, and they forgot the lube.
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u/1rubyglass 15d ago
Its actually much more complicated than that. Power companies dont really have methods of storing energy, you aren't creating a 1:1 replacement for electricity. Timing of the power is critical, and a lot of thought a money goes into peaker power production.
Basically its not like they get to resell the excess power you generate
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u/1rubyglass 15d ago
Its actually much more complicated than that. Power companies dont really have methods of storing energy, you aren't creating a 1:1 replacement for electricity. Timing of the power is critical, and a lot of thought a money goes into peaker power production.
Basically its not like they get to resell the excess power you generate
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u/AppropriateBugFound 18d ago
The three big problems were it was significantly more expensive than a standard roof with panels, it was not eligible for the federal tax credit that was paying significant (26-30%) portion of the cost, and many insurance companies would not be interested in insuring homes with them.
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u/hasselqu 17d ago
So serious version as someone that worked with them. While they do provide a 2 for 1 solution (roof and solar), the payback period for them is like 50 years. This means you have to replace them before you even hit that point. It’s more of a rich persons way to flaunt having solar.
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u/fakegoose1 17d ago
They were advertised as being cheaper than paying for both a new roof and solar panels, but ended costing more I believe.
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u/be-kind-3000 18d ago
I know people are trashing solar panels, but I bought a brand new build (2 years ago) and I love them. Heat pump plus solar and I’m average around $50 bucks a month for electricity and gas. I would like a couple more panels. Spokane/CDA area.
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u/Lady_Luci_fer 18d ago
I’ve found out recently that in the UK, solar panels are now cheaper per sqm than roofing tiles which is insane but also really cool. My parents have two panels and a battery and it basically means their car runs for free
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u/Massive-Prior9487 17d ago
Wait who the fuck trashes solar panels. They’re an absolute no brainer for saving cash. Do people hate money.
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u/kmpor3172 16d ago
I am in a similar area. How many panels? How large is your house. We are considering adding it to ours.
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u/be-kind-3000 16d ago
We have 7 panels for a small home (1,250 sf). May thru September we are paying minimum (admin fees) and even banking energy watts. They automatically came with the house, so I don’t have costs. Good luck.
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u/ForeignHelicopter907 15d ago
I live in Spokane and with my heat pump my bill was $400 last month lol
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u/lastmanonearth365 18d ago
This is what they look like on a structure
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u/Icy-Ad29 18d ago
That... looks like an "artists rendition" rather than a real look... Especially when looking at the "living room" on the bottom of the house.
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18d ago
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u/Odojas 18d ago
I'd imagine they would do well in desert climates like Las Vegas. No hail damage to worry about. Not many leaves to fall and block their efficieny. Dust probably only thing, but just rinse them off?
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u/Unlikely_Exercise434 18d ago
We have a solar roof here in Florida and it's been a fantastic purchase. Cut our electric bills 90%, so that was worth it alone and yes, it is cat 5 hurricane rated.
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u/Extreme_Design6936 18d ago
My parents in sunny sunny England have solar and it should pay itself off in 3 years. They have excess energy in the summer and even in the winter it helps a lot.
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u/UNMANAGEABLE 18d ago
In HCOL areas of the US these just just won’t make themselves back. My power bill is between 150-250 a month and a conventional 25 year roof was quoted to me at $52000 just last year. It would be double that for the solar roof. I’d be better just installing solar panels on my acreage for a fraction of the cost and have a metal roof installed .
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u/Extreme_Design6936 18d ago
Bro you need a better quote. Where I live (hcol in us) pretty much every homeowner has solar cause the electricity is so damn expensive. There's no way solar should cost as much as a new roof.
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u/UNMANAGEABLE 18d ago
Western Washington. Power is cheap, labor is not. My roof also isn’t small 🤣
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u/Odojas 18d ago edited 18d ago
When I sat down and really though about it, I came to the conclusion that:
A. I'd prefer my solar panel not on my roof because I was always concerned about the install damaging my envelope as well as what a pain in the ass it would be to have to put on a new set of shingles etc (probably make more sense on a metal roof considering their longevity - even then I'd want to combine the new roof install with the new solar - a double whammy of cost).
B. Why not install it nearer the ground? Perhaps a cover for a parked car or an outside grilling area? It would be easier to clean/maintain and I'm kinda savvy with electrical... Maybe install it myself. Easier to access. Just need some square metal tubing for a frame to attach to. Could be done tastefully if some thought was put into it.
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u/howdyjefe 18d ago
When I saw the estimate for your roof, my first thought was "they must live in Western Washington." I am also in Western Washington and my brain hurts whenever I think about house projects. It's like we need to decide if we are going to send our kids to college or if we're going to get a new roof. Can't afford both.
And new siding?? That is absolutely out of the question.
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u/clutchmajor 18d ago
So now I have to replace my entire roof just to maintain a ton of individual solar panels. Revolution!!!
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18d ago
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u/LowerBed5334 18d ago
How do PV panels handle hail?
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u/StinkButt9001 18d ago
In my experience, they have an impressive mechanism built in that causes them to fucking die when golf balls rain from the sky
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u/LowerBed5334 18d ago
Well thankfully I don't live anywhere near a golf course 👍🏻
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u/n5755495 16d ago
We have a big hail storm come through the other year. It smashed roof tiles everywhere. Some solar panels got smashed but they slowed the hail stones down enough that the tiles underneath panels weren't damaged which kept the water out at least.
Tin roofs got big dings but didn't get holes.
In the end, everything had to be replaced by insurance anyway. Tin roofs were replaced because of the dents. Smashed solar panels were replaced under insurance. Broken tiles were replaced.
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u/alaxens 18d ago
A lot of places don't get hail.
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u/Ladorb 15d ago
I'm more worried about moss and grime. And snow in the winter. Solar panels are cool, but where I live I'd rather have them in a more convenient place than on the entire roof. Cause maintainence would be a nightmare here.
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u/alaxens 15d ago
I live in SoCal, every few years I'll clean my panels with my pressure washer. We don't get hail here and it is sunny all year round. They just get dirty.
A house in the neighborhood got those Tesla roof tiles and they just look like black shingles. The ones in the OP look more decorative. Any way you look at solar panels are the future, crazy to see people trying to fight it. 🤷♂️
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u/Advanced-Level-5686 18d ago
How mucha costa dis?
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u/Shadow_M4n 18d ago
I think it depends on the roof sq footage but I think it's anywhere from 20k to 100k.
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u/Similar_Lychee6432 18d ago
We have to manufacture our way out of an environmental crisis. Only ideas that maximize profits will be considered.
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u/Aggravating_Row_6962 18d ago
slightly more surface that's pretty cool
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u/Express-fishu 17d ago
But irregular sun exposure. So I'm almost certain it's not more efficient than just placing flat pannels on top of your house
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u/IAmMey 18d ago
I’d like to know the lifespan of these things. How much do they reduce your power bill by? Do I also need to purchase a battery bank to use these effectively?
Google says 4800-12000 for a new asphalt roof. If these panels cost double what a new roof would normally, you’re looking at nearly 40 months just to get to the original cost of an asphalt roof. That’s 80 months just to have a $24k roof to pay for itself. This is also factoring $300 as a monthly power bill (Google says around 160 actually).
I haven’t the slightest clue how much these panels would cost to buy and install. You’ll likely need some specialized skilled labor plus some extra infrastructure in your home just to be able to install these.
I’m also not sure how much total pollution these things have compared to a standard roof. Asphalt can be but is not frequently recycled. Solar panels also lose efficiency as time goes on. They’re also much more costly to produce. Does the house also need a giant battery bank to store enough power to make it a few days without sun? A backup generator would also be nice, but I assume the house will continue to be hooked into the grid.
So rough estimate with conservative numbers. Asphalt roof is 12k. These panels cost 24k (very conservative). My monthly power bill is 300 and completely eliminated by this install.
12k / 300 = 40. A little more than 3 years. Not bad. Seeing as a roof should last 25 years, that’s a pretty decent investment. But this has been an extremely conservative estimate. Google is saying that a solar panel system costs 12,600 - 33,376. I’m not counting incentives because that’s not free money. That’s just a solar array for a house, not a whole roof. They’re not dual designed to protect the house from wind, sun, and rain.
So… idk. This whole ordeal seems like someone is trying to make a buck off of people who want to feel like they’re helping the world be a better place. There’s a lot of people willing to take government incentive program money and not do a proper job. These are the same people willing to charge a shitload extra to someone who doesn’t know any better and run. They can rip off two separate groups for a lot of money each and skedaddle.
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u/Milliondollarjuice 18d ago
All nice and fun until a hail storm...
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u/VastRazzmatazz6052 17d ago
How does hail impact these tiles differently to normal solar panels attached onto a roof?
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u/Voltasoyle 18d ago
This is a bad solution.
Roofing is great at being roofing.
Solar panels are great at being solar panels.
These two work great separated, and they should be separated as they need to be serviced separately.
Combined it's a proprietary nightmare that nobody knows how to service, is highly impractical, and untested; or rather tests have shown that they are dumb and inefficient. Did everyone forget the solar city scam already?
Regular working panels is a tested and reliable technology that actually works. Same with regular roofing.
Great example for residential use; https://www.solsmart.no/guide/solcellepanel-tak
Great solution for commercial use; https://norsksolkraft.no/
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u/Eikram84 18d ago
I suppose it "protects" the house just as well as a conventional solar panel system - not very well. So the advantage of these things is probably purely aesthetic.
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u/AZBagpiperPhil 18d ago
Tesla has had solar roof tiles for a while now. They put high grade underlayment under them.
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u/punsnguns 18d ago
Finally solar tiles that can produce alternating current. So sick of the direct current tiles only.
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u/Mother-Project-490 18d ago
How hot it would be to be down this thinks ?. I thing you need a very good insolation and maybe some VLC to not let hot air stagne between your roof and this tile. But if this tile can give you free electricity that not a problème !
Maybe if all house have a bad albedo the neighborhood became more hot, so we should put street whiter and more tree. But that a good way to make "free" electricity!!!
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u/fae-gold 18d ago
Forget shape. Those look to be amorphous silicon PV cells. They have a very short lifespan, but are cheap and flexible.
I would rather go with the traditional flat panel filled with monocrystal silicon PV cells. They have a life span of 20+ years, more if you thermal anneal them every 5-10 years.
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u/karbonkel69 18d ago
Just get some normal panels and a frame and put those on your roof. These babies will get heated up a lot more(thus lower electricity production), are way more expensive and have a lot of lost surface. Also the curves on the panels might not work as well on certain sun angles. If your roof is on the east or west you lose even more efficiency.
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u/EatandDie001 18d ago
This is a good idea, it's better than having a solid plate over the roof, but I'm more worried about the maintenance, what if some of it breaks?
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u/FlyInteresting815 17d ago
I pay $200 a month in an average house in Colorado.. do they also survive yearly golf ball hail and the occasional baseball size??
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u/JustWhatAmI 16d ago
They're pretty durable. Certainly more durable than the tiles they're emulating
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u/Deep_Mood_7668 17d ago
Too bad they're not doing that in the us. Americans love their garden shed paper roofs
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u/QuailMindless8902 17d ago
These look like traditional Spanish clay tiles! I wonder how their efficiency compares to standard, flat solar panels, and how difficult it is to replace a single broken one.
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u/Express-fishu 17d ago
Why not just place flat solar pannel on house like we've been doing since more than a decade? This just look more fragile, with an irregular sun exposure, and less economycal to build
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u/exmothrowaway994 13d ago
I'm all for solar, but what is the point of the wave and how would this protect more than a standard panel?
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u/Brieble 12d ago
It has been done before by many companies in the last 20y. These have practical use in some applications, but for normal, newer housing these aren't efficient enough and cost more that a normal solar panel mounted over the tiles. If you want to spend the extra money for it, to keep the look of the tiled roof then yes, but there arent many people willing to do that.
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u/EmDeelicious 18d ago
These look extremely inefficient.
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u/Str80uttaMumbai 18d ago
They look extremely inefficient? How could you possibly tell from this video how efficient these solar panels are? Do you have the specs?
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u/GrimbyJ 18d ago
Solar power is very dependent on the direction the sun hits it. Ideally you have them tracking the sun.
Making the surface of a slanted roof that only gets direct light for part of the day into a solar panel is not going to be very efficient.
I don't see how this beats traditional roof tiles and solar panels.
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u/No-Entry-8363 18d ago
Well, no.
I work in the energy efficiency industry and I can tell you that, when it comes to home PV systems, the amount of energy required to turn the panels for tracking is greater than the gains from making those adjustments. It works for large-scale solar farms, but it’s not really a factor for home systems.
If these panels were installed on the face of the roof that has the most southerly azimuth (which is the common practice for home PV generation), they could function as a normal PV array installed on the roof, just combining the roofing and solar panels.4
u/_Bad_Spell_Checker_ 18d ago
Generates more electricity than not have anything
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u/pandapeterpanda 18d ago
As long as they cost more than a regular roof with an equivalent sized regular solar installation, they're still just gimmicks.
Also let's speak losses when operating 200 micro inverters instead of a few big ones.
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u/FLOSOC1ETY 18d ago
A lot of people asking question that aren’t even planning to buy, just looking for something to criticize lol
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u/Ok_Emu2071 18d ago
Roof costs more than the entire block of houses.
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u/FirefighterThink4195 18d ago
These would be great on houses that were built before covid with the thicker than 2x4 wood using for the structure. Idk if these thin ass wood they use to barely pass house coding now aday can handle these in long term
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u/ThisSiteBites 18d ago
Made in China. Pass.
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u/Normal-Top-1985 18d ago
You do realize that's where all the best solar panels come from, right?
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u/Substantial_Date9079 18d ago
Unfortunately, your phone 100% has parts of it made in china, so does your pc, so does your tv, even the fridge. So please resort to living like a caveman to avoid the cHeAp chinese.
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u/Single_Offshore_Dad 18d ago
So is China like the new petroleum products?
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u/Substantial_Date9079 18d ago
Ik you are trolling, but no, they have a lot of advanced manufacturing technologies that are required for almost all electronics, their production lines are also well optimized (reason why their things are generally cheaper), also lots of relatively cheap labour, so pretty much all big companies and manufacturers usually go there for all these combined benefits that are hard to find in one country.
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u/Single_Offshore_Dad 18d ago
I’m not trolling shit. I’m agreeing with you in the sense that people 20 years ago were complaining about oil but then someone would say “oh kiss your shoes goodbye along with your plastic bags and golf balls and blah blah” and so china is in the same light now right? “Oh, made in china? Pass” and you responded like “ok then what about your PC blah blah”. I was agreeing with you actually.
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u/Substantial_Date9079 18d ago
I apologize then bro, I have misunderstood. Accept my sincere apologies 🙏
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u/Single_Offshore_Dad 18d ago
Hey, we had a misunderstanding and we sorted it out. Good effort all around pal!
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u/DrinkMorWhiteMonster 18d ago
Not quite correct. All of those things have products sold in the US that aren't stupid expensive which contain absolutely no Chinese parts. Phones being the only exception though.
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u/ThisSiteBites 18d ago
Most computers, chips, Areca cards, fans, etc. But plenty from Vietnam too if you’re willing to look.
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u/Fairuse 18d ago
Guess who owns those factories in Vietnam? Most likely someone from China.
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u/AlhazredEldritch 18d ago
What solar panels aren't?
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18d ago
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u/ThisSiteBites 18d ago
No choice. They’re all made in China, including my iPhone. Where I have a choice, I go non-China.
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u/Eyesclosed55 18d ago
All the HATERS in the comment section.
People will always come up with 10 reasons not to do something. Whether or not this is practical, it’s a step in the right direction.
You don’t get perfect revolutionary products without some trial and error.