Tesla Unveils Solar Roof And Next Generation Of Powerwall (TSLA)

You want to pull your neighbours over and say Check out this sweet roof.

Tesla gave little detail on cost, except to say that the cost of the roof would be less than a conventional roof plus solar.

Solarcity and Tesla have announced new solar products, which include new solar roof tiles and the Powerwall 2.

Earlier this month, Tesla and SolarCity announced that, if they merge, they plan to work closely with Japanese giant Panasonic to make solar cells and modules, which make up solar panels, in SolarCity’s factory in upstate NY. The solar cell inside it can not be seen from the street. The initiative is being billed as a joint effort of Tesla and SolarCity.

On your house, there’s a solar roof (available in four styles, including terracotta).

Of course the entire equation requires batteries for a home to stay powered up when the sun goes down.

Musk showed off the new solar paneled roof tiles, which come in several styles including smooth, textured and tuscan, by fitting them to several houses on the set of former ABC television series “Desperate Housewives” at Universal Studios Hollywood, according to the Los Angeles Times. Later, Musk said he’d have to do a few things to achieve this: Generate cheap, ubiquitous renewable energy; store this energy in compact, affordable batteries; make cars and building systems that use these electrons instead of fossil fuels; place it all into seamless, attractive products that are irresistible to the public and profitable for corporations; then sell a lot of them.

Tesla’s announcement today makes good on Elon Musk’s promise to “create a smoothly integrated and lovely solar-roof-with-battery product”, first previewed in Musk’s “Master Plan Part Deux” in July.

Yesterday, Tesla released information about new batteries for buildings and the power grid, called the Powerpack 2. Can it really provide the required clean energy?

Tesla is now attempting to acquire SolarCity and shareholders of both companies will vote on the acquisition in November, so concrete pricing and availability info wasn’t discussed at the event.

Musk followed up the second-generation reveal to clarify that Tesla forsees a future requiring both local and utility solar-power generation, explaining that the Powerwall and Solar Roof set up would not be positioned as a competitor for larger utility power supply, but rather be required to work in-tandem due to increasing energy requirements. An electric auto, a Powerwall and a solar roof. They’re calling it Tesla Glass and, as you’ll see in the video, you can drop something as heavy as a kettlebell on it without breaking it. Tesla Glass was actually developed by Tesla Motors under the utmost secrecy – unusual for a company that pretty much open-sources everything and believes in an open policy regarding patents and such. From the ground the solar panel will look normal just like any other roof on the house, but a view from the top will show that it is completely transparent in order to get solar power.