In October 2019, Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced version 3 of its solar roof tiles, now dubbed Solar Glass.
That was 3 years after the roof tiles were first announced. Progress has been slow for the solar roof tiles as resources from the energy division at Tesla were diverted to ensure Model 3 production was able to ramp up to current production levels.
Now that those resources have returned, Solar Glass installs are aimed to happen at a rate of 1,000 per week in the coming months. Austin Flack was one of the first customers to get his new Solar Glass roof installed in early January, and he posted a video to YouTube about the experience.
In Flack’s analysis, the cost of going for the Solar Glass compared to a composite roof tile and Tesla solar panels worked out to about a $3,000 premium – not bad when you’re spending over $30,000 to replace your roof with solar tiles from Tesla.
The installation itself took 7 days, which isn’t much more than what it would take to replace with conventional roof tiles. According to Flack, almost all the tiles are solar-capable, with the exception being some ‘dummy’ tiles cut to fit edges and also around vents and pipes.
Their house is also now about 1.5 inches taller, as the Solar Glass was raised to allow for wiring underneath, as well as ventilation.
While the installation is now complete, Flack is still waiting on final approvals to officially turn on the system. Once the switch is flipped, the Solar Glass setup will “completely zero out” his electricity bill.
There is still no work on when Solar Glass will be available in Canada, or the pricing structure and any possible rebates. For now, you can check out Tesla’s website for more information.
