Solar roof tiles Elon Musk Tesla

Discussion in 'Renovation & Home Improvement' started by Gockie, 11th May, 2017.

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  1. Gockie

    Gockie Life is good ☺️ Premium Member

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  2. Barny

    Barny Well-Known Member

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  3. Peter P

    Peter P Well-Known Member

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    Brilliant idea. Would love to have this when I build my new home
     
  4. spludgey

    spludgey Well-Known Member

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    Terrible idea in my opinion. Way more expensive than a conventional roof with solar. And why? Just so you can have solar but pretend not to have solar?
     
  5. Gockie

    Gockie Life is good ☺️ Premium Member

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    I think it's great. There are many wealthy home owners who want good looking roofs and solar power and are willing to pay for it... and imo it's not even going to super expensive. I'd call it an investment. Lifts the resale value of your home and pays you back with electricity over time.

    As long as the panels have a very long life span...
     
  6. Stoffo

    Stoffo Well-Known Member

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    Like it also :)
    Given time the price will reduce and they may become the normal.

    There has been research here into thin film solar sheets.
    Being able to be applied to tiles and corrigated iron sheets like contact on books.
     
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  7. sanj

    sanj Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    No it is not.

    It is cheaper by a fair margin and supposedly a lot more durable/long lasting. Whether it ends up being the case in the long term who knows but as it stands you are I think the first person to make the above claim.
     
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  8. chylld

    chylld Well-Known Member

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    Friend of mine paid his deposit for these yesterday, because 1) he needs to re-tile his roof in 1-2 years anyway, and 2) he prefers a clean tiled roof look rather than ugly rectangular solar panels.

    I'm also going solar but won't be going with the solar tiles as 1) my roof (colorbond) is still in great condition and 2) you can't see my roof as i'm uphill from the street.
     
  9. chylld

    chylld Well-Known Member

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    Also a question: would solar panels + battery count as modifications to improve rentability? i.e. if I use a loan split to pay for solar, would the interest be tax deductible when the property becomes an IP? I think it would improve rentability as the ongoing electricity cost to tenants would be dramatically lower.
     
  10. spludgey

    spludgey Well-Known Member

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    "Tesla’s tiles will cost about $A32,000"
    "normal terracotta roof tiles in Australia cost around $A10,000"

    So that's a premium of $22k. As a comparison, a 5kW conventional solar system (I wouldn't expect this to be any more than 5kW) can be had from $3000, but lets say it's a quarter of the premium that Tesla charges. Either way the Tesla tiles are a lot more expensive.

    I definitely think that solar is worth it, even silly Tesla solar, but I would just compare it to Apple vs Android. Solar tiles and the iphone are all style over substance. Now this can be fine and come down to personal preference, however as this is an investment forum, I would point out that substance is a lot more important if you're looking at financial gains.

    I actually find the link (most likely based on the what Tesla provided) to be quite disingenuous. First they factor in the value of energy on a solar tile roof but not on a conventional solar roof. Next, looking at the hail test, you can clearly see that Tesla set their tile up so it has a much smaller unsupported area, which is obviously going to make it much stronger.

    As for being longer lasting, most conventional solar panels come with a 25 year warranty, while this article doesn't state a warranty period for the solar tiles.


    Don't get me wrong, I'm still a fan of the Tesla cars and the powerwall, I just think that this is a very poor product, somewhat like the solar roadways (though obviously not as terrible a product, just much too expensive).
     
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  11. Gockie

    Gockie Life is good ☺️ Premium Member

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    If could whack a 5kW solar system on my roof for 3k, I would... where can I get that deal?

    And... as you can see my home is heritage listed. I can't put anything ugly like normal solar panels on my facade. Heritage experts might allow solar panels that look like tiles though.... yes this is an unusual case.

    Just an analogy... Some people wear glasses. Some people wear contacts lenses. Sone people do both. But some people get laser vision correction. Laser vision correction might cost more upfront, but can be more asthetically pleasing. If you are looking for a husband or wife or signficant other, or perhaps land a job that is based purely on appearances (not saying it should happen, but it can), perhaps that will give you the edge over the person who doesn't. Spend a bit more for the asthetic appeal... Long term benefits. Doesn't have to be quantifiable.
     
    Last edited: 12th May, 2017
  12. spludgey

    spludgey Well-Known Member

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    Here. You'll have to factor in $350 for a meter if yours can't do exports and personally, I'd go with the Zeversolar inverter for an extra $99. But even if you factor both of those in, it's still under $3,500.
    But a word of warning, Dollar Solar is terrible with service once you've paid them (as you'd expect with a name like that). But as I said, while it's not necessarily advisable, it is possible.

    You can also put solar panels on heritage buildings, I've done a few through work. you just need a permission.

    Personally, I don't think solar panels are ugly, but each to their own.
     
  13. mikey7

    mikey7 Well-Known Member

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    Yes, but that's if you have EVERY tile being a solar tile. The 'normal' tiles are 25% the cost of the solar tile. If you do 25% of your house in solar tiles (enough for most), it will cost similar to terracotta.

    Tesla have a warranty period of the house's lifetime, or infinity, whichever comes first. As long as the house is still standing, the warranty stands.
     
  14. kierank

    kierank Well-Known Member

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    I look better with glasses. I am ugly with them and kickbutt ugly without them.

    So, laser surgery would be s waste of money for me.

    Just saying. Back on topic.
     
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  15. au contraire

    au contraire Well-Known Member

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  16. spludgey

    spludgey Well-Known Member

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    It's actually the price for 1000 square feet (roughly 100 square metres) so if you were going to put on more than that, the economics would be even worse than in my example.

    That warranty is structural only. The solar part of it has a 30 year warranty in the states, which is very comparable to 25 years of regular panels.

    I'm not saying that people shouldn't get these if they want, but if you do, don't lie to yourself and say it's a good investment.
     
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  17. Gockie

    Gockie Life is good ☺️ Premium Member

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    Another article in AFR, Google "Plunk down $1310 for your Tesla solar roof"

    Plunk down $1310 for your Tesla solar roof

    Plunk down $1310 for your Tesla solar roof
    [​IMG]
    A Tesla solar roof will be more expensive than adding solar panels to a conventional roof. Supplied
    [​IMG]
    by Ben Potter

    Fancy an inconspicuous Tesla solar roof instead of an ungainly collection of shiny blue panels on your cherished slate or terracotta tiles?

    You can put your foot on one by slapping down a $1310 "reservation payment" – not a full deposit – on the Tesla solar roof website today, for delivery in Australia next year.

    Tesla's solar glass tiles convincingly mimic Tuscan style terracotta, slate and American-style smooth and textured roofing shingles and outperform traditional tiles in hail-impact shatter tests.

    They have the top hail, wind and fire ratings available in the US, the highest glass-coating standard, and are three times stronger than typical American tiles, Tesla says.

    [​IMG]
    The tiles convincingly mimic Tuscan-style terracotta, slate and American-style smooth and textured roofing shingles and outperform traditional tiles in hail-impact shatter tests. Supplied
    A Tesla solar roof will be more expensive than adding solar panels to a conventional roof, making it more likely to appeal to high-income "early adopters" in the early phase – just like Tesla electric vehicles and Tesla Powerwall home storage batteries.


    "Tesla's solar tiles are an exciting product that will appeal to the high end of the market – much like their electric cars," said Kobad Bavnhagri, head of Australia for Bloomberg New Energy Finance.

    Excite auction bidders
    "It is still 19-61 per cent cheaper to install regular roofing with traditional solar panels, but cool and sexy often beats cheap.

    "And when it comes to housing, Australians know how to dish out the cash. A high-tech and flash-looking solar roof is bound to make all the auction bidders even more excited."

    [​IMG]
    Aussie-style terracotta tiles are expected to be available next year. Supplied
    The glass tiles allow the sun's rays to pass straight through to conventional solar panels. "Active" solar tiles are about $US42 a square foot (just less than $600 a square metre) and inactive tiles $US11 a square foot ($250 a square metre).

    The launch brings Tesla closer to its vision of a clean energy house with solar roof tiles, Tesla battery and Tesla electric vehicle, and comes ahead of expectations and below the expected cost.

    "These are really the three legs of the stool for a sustainable energy future," Tesla founder Elon Musk said in a blog post.

    "Solar power going to a stationary battery pack so you have power at night, and then charging an electric vehicle … you can scale that to all the world's demand."

    Solar uptake
    Because Australia has the world's strongest take-up of rooftop solar – with about 1.7 million homes – and the company expects initial take-up here to be strongest in newly built homes and residential developments.

    "Australia has a strong uptake of residential solar, one of the highest in the world. Solar roof will provide new housing developments the ability to generate and then store energy with the Tesla Powerwall, which can then power both the home at night or charge sustainable transport," a Tesla spokesman said.

    "We are already seeing many real estate developers installing Tesla Powerwall in home packages today to assist homeowners in moving toward a more sustainable future.
     
    Last edited: 13th May, 2017
  18. Stoffo

    Stoffo Well-Known Member

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    Talk about product placement
    House pics show (though not clearly visible on purpose) the solar roof tiles, with a Tesla vehicle in the drive, and powerwall battery on side of house

    (Who needs to spend big $$$ on advertising)
     
  19. Kangabanga

    Kangabanga Well-Known Member

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  20. Redwing

    Redwing Well-Known Member

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