Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

Tesla's New York Gigafactory Kicks Off Solar Roof Production

posted by Fnord666 on Sunday January 14 2018, @02:11PM   Printer-friendly
from the electrifying-news dept.

Phoenix666 writes:

Tesla Inc. has kicked off production of its long-awaited electricity-producing shingles that Elon Musk says will transform the rooftop solar industry.

Manufacturing of the photovoltaic glass tiles began last month at a factory in Buffalo built with backing from New York State, the company said in an email Tuesday. It comes more than a year after Tesla unveiled the shingles to a mix of fanfare and skepticism.

The appeal: a sleek, clean solar product, especially for homeowners seeking to replace aging roofs. The tiles -- from most angles -- look like ordinary shingles. They allow light to pass from above and onto a standard flat solar cell.

Tesla, the biggest U.S. installer of rooftop-solar systems, piloted the product on the homes of several employees. The company expects to begin installing roofs for customers within the next few months.

Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Tesla's New York Gigafactory Kicks Off Solar Roof Production | Log In/Create an Account | Top | 11 comments | Search Discussion
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.

  • (Score: 3, Informative) by captain normal on Sunday January 14 2018, @06:13PM (2 children)

    by captain normal (2205) on Sunday January 14 2018, @06:13PM (#622220)

    Personally I don't much care for Bloomberg. Not enough real information and too much flashy stuff. Tesla's own site is only just a little better, but you do get a lot more info.

    https://www.tesla.com/solarroof [tesla.com]

    https://www.tesla.com/support/solar-roof-faqs [tesla.com]

    --
    Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts"- --Daniel Patrick Moynihan--
    Starting Score:    1  point
    Moderation   +1  
       Informative=1, Total=1
    Extra 'Informative' Modifier   0  
    Karma-Bonus Modifier   +1  
    Total Score:   3  

  • (Score: 2) by frojack on Sunday January 14 2018, @08:43PM (1 child)

    by frojack (1554) on Sunday January 14 2018, @08:43PM (#622266) Journal

    It is pretty thin on information.

    There was this one hint:

    Customize the amount of electricity your Solar Roof produces to fit your energy needs. This feature is made possible by using two types of glass tile, solar tile and non-solar tile. Both appear the same from street level.

    There is also some info in the patents:
    https://electrek.co/2017/08/30/tesla-solar-roof-tile-system-explained-patent/ [electrek.co]

    Still the whining lament of the first poster AC were wide of the mark. The tile has everything in one package, protective quarts glass, solar cell, electrical connection, etc.

    Its said to be hail proof.

    --
    No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.

    • (Score: 2) by arslan on Sunday January 14 2018, @10:55PM

      by arslan (3462) on Sunday January 14 2018, @10:55PM (#622309)

      Its said to be hail proof.

      That's what the video in the Oz site [tesla.com] shows... and hail is quite frequent here in NSW, though I don't know the "class", I haven't had any of my roof tiles break before even when we get golf ball sized hail.

      Aesthetically, it definitely looks a lot nicer than having separate solar panels. Mold and corrosion (if you live near the coastline here) is also a problem, so not sure how they stack up.