Later this year, Tesla will begin selling and installing residential solar roofs. Danielle Muoio at Business Insider breaks down everything she knows about the new product.
Solar cells will be hidden behind textured glass, providing the appearance of a typical roof. Tuscan glass tile will be available, as will French slate tiles. They are produced using a water printing process known as hydrographic coloring.
The tiles are strong enough to walk on and will be manufactured at a plant in Buffalo, N.Y.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the solar roof could cost less than an actual roof, but still hasn't given specific pricing information. However, Lyndon Rive, SolarCity's former CEO, said on the Nov. 1 call that "we think we can get to that price point of 40 cents a Watt over time in large scale" for the solar cells, which would put it in line with the competition.
Advertisement
Related Stories
Awards
6th Annual Most Valuable Product Awards
Drumroll ... Please join us in celebrating our 6th Annual MVP Awards winners, which represent the best in innovative building products
Sustainability
Fortera Takes Concrete Steps to Reduce the Climate Impact of Cement
Clean-tech company Fortera, which uses technology to capture carbon emissions form cement manufacturing, will open its first commercial-scale operation on April 12, 2024, in California
Building Materials
Lumber Leads Building Materials Prices Higher in March
Overall, the cost of building materials rose during March, with softwood lumber, gypsum products, and concrete all seeing price increases. Only steel mill materials saw price drops