![]() Lastly we can try to attempt to make some predictions on price. Have a look at the Solaredge video for an explanation of what happens if a portion of a solar array is shaded on a traditional string inverter. Also, looking at the presentation and seeing how those solar tiles were installed around window dormers and under trees, the panels would have to be optimised or very cleverly wired to prevent significant shade loss. Making the tiles compatible with Solaredge will be important for Tesla. Solaredge has the biggest market share for residential installations in the USA and many other countries globally. With regard to inverters Tesla has a close relationship with inverter manufacturer Solaredge, which come with optimisers as standard. This will be incredibly important, especially if we want to install on partially shaded roofs (not unlike the roofs in the Tesla presentation). There is a good chance that Tesla will have thought about this and will have a way to link sets of tiles together and optimise them. The other technical constraint mentioned earlier was that it is hard to make solar tiles work with optimisers and micro inverters. If your roof is big enough, efficiency may not be a concern as you’ll be able to hit the generating capacity you require regardless. Making an aesthetically pleasing product will probably be more important for some people. To be fair, maximum efficiency may not be the main driving force. If you have limited roof space, you may be better off going for a high efficiency module instead, which does not have these unutilised spaces. It appears that only around 50% of the tile is taken up by the cell. This is even more dramatic in the Tuscan Glass Tile. In particular have a look at the Tesla Smooth Glass tile – you certainly wouldn’t get this amount of wasted space in a conventional panel. When you look at individual tiles and slates there appears to be wasted space which is not taken up by a solar cell. It would be difficult for them to get close to premium, high efficiency solar panels* for the following reasons. My hunch is that the cells themselves may be efficient however the per m 2 efficiency must be quite low or relatively average when compared to regular solar panel roof tiles. Tesla are claiming that the cells will be highly efficient. When it comes to efficiency, however, we must wait and see. This is great news as it means a larger collection area. Where the new Tesla offering looks like an improvement is that their tiles appear to be installed right up to the edge of the roof. It is also harder to use technology like individual panel optimisation or micro inverters with the smaller module sizes of roof tiles. The current technology also has some technical limitations such as the requirement for up to three courses of regular tiles or slates around the edge of the array. While we got off to a good start with the solar slates they haven’t been massively successful due to their higher cost and lower efficiencies. Some of the first installations completed at Joju Solar 10 years ago were solar tiles. Solar roof tiles and slates have been available for a long time. In fact, we have been reliably informed that the products are at least a year and a half away from being sold in the UK. ![]() ![]() At the time of writing there are no datasheets for us to look at and no UK release dates. It looks like there will be four variants of roof tile, a Tuscan Glass Tile, a Slate Glass Tile, a Textured Glass Tile and a Smooth Glass Tile.Īt Joju Solar we are very keen to see the full specification for these products. (You can find the full presentation here). Is it the future of solar roofing? Read what Jon has to say!Įlon Musk recently announced a range of new solar roof tiles in a presentation alongside the launch of Tesla Powerwall 2. Residential Sales Manager Jon Cowdrill discusses Tesla’s recent announcement about its new solar roof tiles. Commercial Rooftop Solar & InstallationĪn Installer’s View of Tesla’s Solar Roof Tiles.Electric Vehicles, Air Pollution and Health.Solar Electric Car Charger (Solar Powered EV Charger).PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid) vs Full Electric Vehicles.Electricity Tariffs for the Renewable Home.
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