Solar roof V3

[begreen]

Tesla just announced version 3 of their solar roof that is supposed to be easier and less expensive to install. The prior 2 versions were complicated and expensive to install. V3 is simpler and with less parts. If it works well I suspect there will be a lot of these installed soon in Calif along with Powerwalls.

Tesla’s new Solar Glass Roof tiles are the first version ready for a wide rollout

Elon Musk is targeting 1,000 installations per month in a few months

www.theverge.com

 

[semipro]

I'm curious what they do for roofing on the sides that don't get appreciable sunlight.
Do they sell matching shingles that don't produce power?

 

[begreen]

That would make sense.

 

[peakbagger]

There was video on the web of V2 filmed by a fire department in CA on the details of the system. The V2 design was a sandwich of injection molded plastic underneath with snap on tile panels that were either a plain tile or a tile with a solar panel laminated on it. The tiles with solar panels had a pig tail that plugged into connector rail integrated into the plastic part of the roof. It looked to me like the tiles are just a weathering surface. The underlying plastic or possibly a membrane under the plastic is the actual waterproofing. I havent seen details on the V3 but the claim is the solar tile segments are longer with shorter blank segments available to reduce cutting.

Unless the new design is a radical departure, I am curious on the life of the molded plastic under the tiles. Its a tough environment for plastic as elevated roof temperatures tends to degrade the plastic and make it brittle. Not good if the plastic is holding the tiles in place. In theory there is a 30 year guarantee but the temptation may be to get a "good enough" product out in the field now in hopes of cash flow to keep Tesla growing now and fix any issues later. Its not that difficult corporately to spin off liability for future issues if Tesla is even in the solar business in thirty years and is moot if they are not. Tesla's recent bad publicity about servicing and repairing the former Solar City Walmart installations and the " secret repair program" for defective connectors does not bode well for long term support of a new complex product. IMHO Tesla would have a lot more credibility if they secured third party warranty coverage like some of the solar panel companies have done. Of course an insurance company is going to charge a hefty premium as the only way to fix a defective roof may be to tear it off and replace it. I have a suspicion that the 30 year guarantee has a proration clause that reduces the remedies as the years go on.

Its an extraordinary product if it works out but it will be built on the "bones" of several other high profile solar roof products that failed.

 

[peakbagger]

I guess its still a work in progress.

Tesla Solar Roof buyer left without roof and tarps over his house after 2-month-long nightmare

A Tesla Solar Roof customer was left without a roof and tarps covering his house after new solar roof installation...

electrek.co

This article confirms that they use an waterproof underlayment under the shingles to in theory act as a water barrier with panels acting a weather and UV protection. Not a bad idea and as long as they use the right underlayment, its basically lifetime as long as its protected.

I think I ran into $57,000 for a 11 KW system