Elon Musk, Tesla chief executive, finally announced to launch the long-awaited solar roof that combines solar panels with roofs. It’s a new product introduced together by Tesla and SolarCity. Tesla also revealed the Powerwall 2 residential storage system and the company claimed that if Powerwall 2 is connected with the solar roof system, it can generate 100% clean energy for the resident.

 

The roof tiles designed by Tesla and SolarCity are made of textured glass. High-efficiency solar panels are embedded inside the textured glass. “Through the use of a hydrographic printing technique, each tile is unique, just like natural slate,” said Musk.

 

Tesla offers four kinds of tiles – Textured Glass Tile, Slate Glass Tile, Tuscan Glass Tile, and Smooth Glass Tile, allowing the owners to choose a solar roof that matches their residential style.

 

Some people have doubts about the durability of the solar roofs, but Tesla indicated that the tiles are incredibly durable compared to traditional roof tiles. “Besides, it cost less to

install solar roofs than traditional roofs,” Musk added.

The company has conducted an upgrade on every aspect of Powerwall 2. The Powerwall 2 has twice as much energy and twice as much power (14.0 kilowatt-hours of energy), as the first iteration of the home battery (7.0 kilowatt-hours of energy), enough to power a four-bedroom house for an entire day. It will be guaranteed to work for unlimited cycles over 10 years. The price is $5,500, and deliveries will start in early December.

Following the launch of solar roof, Tesla will not only produce electrical vehicles (EVs) and battery storage systems, but also solar-roofs. Basically, they are in charge of everything from energy production to storage and to transportation, creating a brand with sustainable lifestyle to each household unit. 

(1st photo credit: Youtube; rest of the photo credit: Tesla)