The Tesla Solar Roof Revolutionizes Home Electricity
Elon Musk is arguably the most innovative person in our lifetime, and one of the greatest minds in the history of science and engineering. With the brain and money of a potential Bond villain, Musk continues to absolutely change the game in every industry that he dips his toes into. Be it private space transportation, the Futurama-esque HyperLoop, or Tesla Motors, if it has Musk’s name on it you know it’s going to be innovative.
With the introduction of the new Tesla Solar Roof, the company’s newest foray into home electricity is no different. In the past, solar panels on the roof of your house have been a little bit of an eyesore; bulky, garish, and not extremely enticing to install. The Tesla Solar Roof is opening new doors in the realm of personal power.
Creating an Aesthetic
In the two images in this post so far, the houses don’t look like anything too much out of the ordinary. However, all of those roof tiles are indeed Tesla Solar Roof Tiles. This is so important because of the value of looks and aesthetic combining with renewable energy. People have been extremely hesitant to install solar panels due to them being an “eyesore“, and wind farms have been called “blemishes on the landscape“. It is double-edge sword; people are very conscious about current environmental impacts and climate change, while also worried about the vanity of their home.
With the Tesla Solar Roof, there are four choices of texture: textured glass, slate glass, tuscan glass, and smooth glass. Each piece of the Tesla Solar Roof is extremely sturdy, made of quartz, and to endure all types of weather. The glass exterior of each tile allows light to pass through to the solar panel system below.
Powerwall
What makes the Tesla Solar Roof so much more exciting is that they have already made an impact on the electricity market with the Tesla Powerwall. In a general sense, the Powerwall is a massive rechargeable battery that is mounted in-home. When charged up, it has the potential to provide power for an entire home.
This is useful to reduce electricity costs in general, or for use during emergencies. However, with the release of the Tesla Solar Roof, the company is also coming out with the Powerwall 2. With the Solar Roof and the new Powerwall combined, there is now the possibility to go completely off the power grid!
Tesla Solar Roof and Sustainability in Vancouver
Although some Tesla products seem to to be too much for the glitz and glam, the Tesla Solar Roof, Powerwall, and electric cars should be something that everybody gets behind in the foreseeable future. The Solar Roof isn’t going to be made available to the public until 2017, but if it’s anything like Elon Musk’s other products it will be a success.
The population of Metro Vancouver is expected to continue to rise at a steady rate towards four million people by the year 2041. An additional 1.5 million is only going to put more stress on the region, and the environment that we call home. The City of Vancouver already has the Greenest City 2020 Action Plan in place, and sustainability initiatives exist province-wide.
Although investing into Tesla products is a steep cost at first, the eventual benefits will outweigh the costs. There is the common misconception that solar panels will only work in broad sunlight, however they still absorb UV rays during overcast and rainy skies. It is unknown how the Tesla Solar Roof would work with BC Hydro Payments, but if it can become a common presence in houses throughout Metro Vancouver, then the region will be off on the right foot on its way to four million.
