SolarCity and Tesla have announced new solar products, which include new solar roof tiles and the Powerwall 2.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk said their aim is to produce solar roofs which look better than normal roofs, generate electricity, and offer better insulation.
The long-term cost for these solar roofs should also be lower than the cost of a normal roof plus electricity.
Tesla and SolarCity’s new solar roofs come in four styles: Tuscan, Slate, Textured, and Smooth.
“Solar tiles integrated into the roof are invisible when viewed from the street, yet are fully exposed to the sun from above,” said Tesla.
The solar tiles consist of three basic parts:
- Tempered glass – which is extremely durable and impact resistant.
- Colour louver film – which allows cells to blend into the roof while exposing them to the sun.
- High-efficiency solar cells – which produce energy even during high-temperature days.
These solar roofs are suitable to areas which have a lot of sunshine, like South Africa.
Tesla and SolarCity will start installing the new solar roofs in 2017.
Examples of Tesla’s new tiles are posted below.
The Powerwall 2
The company also introduced the Powerwall 2, which will retail for $5,500 in the United States.
The Powerwall 2 stores solar energy in your home with 14kWh of storage and 7kWh power output – double that of its predecessor.
This is enough to power the refrigerator, lights, and sockets for a day in a four-bedroom house.
“If you have solar panels on your house, you can power your house indefinitely,” said Musk.
