One, two, five years – that’s the warranty time we’re accustomed to get on most objects. Infinity, though, isn’t one of them. Even so, Tesla is so confident in its new solar roofs that it promises exactly that to prospective buyers #todaymagic
Yesterday, Elon Musk announced the opening of pre-orders for Tesla solar roofs, the project he announced last fall. He talked about the models available for now as well as the targeted markets. Later that day, Tesla gave more details about the product on their official blog, including the durability that can be expected: “Glass solar tiles are so durable they are warrantied for the lifetime of your house, or infinity, whichever comes first.”
To back up such a big claim, the company showed how their solar roofs responded to impact as opposed to traditional roofs:
Left: Tesla solar roof Right and center: conventional tiles
This video was filmed at a whooping 2,500 frames per second! The company says that each two-inch hailstone met the tiles at a speed of 110 mph (177 kph). Surviving such an impact is pretty impressive for a glass roof. That said, the actual warranty covering power production is 30 years.
So, how much does a durable solar roof like this cost? Well, one square foot of Solar Roof tile for a 3,000 square foot roof is going to be priced at around $21,85, writes Cnet. But there are various factors that could influence the final cost of your solar roof, including how much sunlight can reach the roof and from which side of the house. Tesla launched a Solar Roof calculator using Google Project Sunroof to help you figure out how much energy you’d be able to harness and how much you’d save by going with such a roof. But don’t forget: if you need an extra Powerwall battery for storing the energy generated from them, the cost will rise.
If the situation calls for it, your roof will be a blend of glass tiles with active solar cells and empty ones. In this case, the price will be significantly lower, of course. Those tiles, the ones that do not contain photovoltaic cells, will look the same as the rest and will sell for $11/unit.
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