I’m not gonna lie, the solar tiles look much nicer imho than panels. It’s literally the only benefit in my mind, but it would definitely play a not insignificant part in any decision to move towards solar.
I mean, not from Tesla for obvious reasons, but that form factor from a different manufacturer.
GAF makes solar shingles
Oh thank you, I’m gonna check them out.
I mean I’m too poor to buy them but that’s still a good thing to know.
The idea that sustainable energy needs to be done at a consumer level at all, puting them on our roofs, it’s just silly in most cases. The United States has more than enough land to essentially supply us with what would basically amount to unlimited energy. We don’t need solar on like 1/1000 houses who’s owner decides to do it. We need actual mass infrastructure development.
Edit: Everyone missing the “consumer based” part of my comment and focusing on “roof top solar” as my main criticism. It’s not. Roof top solar can be a complimentary part of it. But there is a reason China (the leader in solar infrastructure) is puting solar farms in deserts and quite literally “making the desert bloom”. The US solutions are just embarrassing in comparison. We should be embarrassed.
Equipping houses with solar reduces upgrading work on the grid.
When it’s hot and the sun is shining, air conditioning works without putting any strain on the grid and with a properly sized battery this even works at night.
Better use the big solar parks for industrial use of electric energy and put the source of energy as close to the destination as possible.Using existing roofs uses no extra space.
We do need mass infrastructure development, but that does not mean that roof top solar is unnecessary. Especially since that infrastructure is not being built in enough to meet demand
I never said roof solar was bad. I said the solution of it at a consumer level is bad. But everyone else besides you seemed to want to read it as “roof solar bad”. So I appreciate that.
However, under capitalism, market “solutions” are given tax incentives to make the industry profitable. So, unfortunately, the solution in the US is to set policy that benefits a consumer based approach that essentially is a drop in the ocean of the infrastructure development that needs to be done.
That’s why the idea of roof top consumer based solar is “silly” to me. Its like hiring a mall cop to storm the beaches of Normandy. But it’s presented as a reasonable means of moving the US to solar infrastructure. Like, we just provide tax incentives and everyone will automatically do shit. Sometimes you have to actually fund the “army” and take control of the manufacturing to actually win the “war”.
I’m not against roof top solar. I’m against the massive corporate welfare going to “green” companies for decades while we fail to meet any reasonable climate goals.
Probably the only bonus of that system is that it buys you 3 more feet on the sides of your roof as code requires panels be mounted with that gap to provide walking access to firefighters.
So…not a lot.
Historic home, I will only put panels on the back of the house because of the appearance, but would love the benefit of front panels for the afternoon sun.
I really was excited about the powerroof when it was announced, Tesla wasn’t awful then, but lately I have wondered and just assumed it was an abandoned idea by now.
I don’t understand why people haven’t designed an aluminum roof structure. Just like 80-20 for 3D printers. You just hook up the panels together with spacers. You walk on the spacers. Everything is water tight and a leak is a quick silicone caulking away or simple panel replacement.
