Solar shingles have had a short but troubled history, the shingle tiles have been difficult to install, highly inefficient, and have been recalled numerous times due to causing roof fires. That being said, Tesla has decided to change the history of the solar shingle to a positive one. They announced their new solar shingle designs in an October at an event with their partner, SolarCity. The CEO Elon Musk announced Friday, via Twitter, that they will begin taking orders for the shingles in April 2017. Sales will start in California and will branch out to other states with high electricity costs. As of now, they have not announced the cost of their shingles, but claim that the solar shingles will cost less than the cost of a traditional roof when combined with energy savings. The company hopes to drive down the cost of the shingles further to match the cost of a traditional composite shingle roof.

Tesla’s solar shingles are designed to look like regular shingles from the ground which adds to their appeal as traditional solar tiles are noticeably made from solar panels. The design has three layers the back layer, the Anatomy layer, is a color film and that allows the cells to blend into the roof while exposing the solar cells to the sun. The middle layer is a hybrid high-efficiency solar cell that is approved for a wide range of temperatures. The cells are expected to utilize both Panasonic and Silevo cell technology. Panasonic is well known have high efficiency modules, the lesser known Silevo was bought up by SolarCity and also utilizes highly efficient cell technology. The final layer is the top layer which uses durable and impact resistant glass. The company believes that their shingles will work as well as traditional roofs, if not better.

Their designs come in a number of styles including: Tuscan glass, slate glass, textured glass and a smooth glass design. These various designs are not only aesthetically pleasing, but offer a number of options for any home design. The life expectancy of the shingles is expected to be on par with traditional roofs and perhaps more than traditional solar installations. This would give the shingles added value and will certainly be a sought-after item 2017 summer solar installation projects. We are confident that Telsla, Panasonic and SolarCity’s collaboration will user in a new era in solar shingles that will be sure to last long into the future. Furthermore, the past issues with solar shingles are likely to be gone and will be both highly efficient and technologically sound.

To find out more about Tesla’s solar shingles and their new generation of solar batteries, the PowerOne 2 and commercial grade storage systems view the video below.