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Tesla’s solar roof cost calculator validated by Consumer Reports

Published

8 years ago

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Consumer Reports has double-checked Tesla’s math behind its solar roof tile calculator and confirmed that estimates provided by the company are accurate. The consumer ratings agency notes that pricing varies depending on where the individual lives, as geography dictates available sunshine and utility rates which ultimately determines if the innovative solar roof tiles makes sense as a purchase.

Tesla’s new solar roof tiles are warrantied for 30 years against weather and ensures that the new roof doesn’t leak after installation. The roof tiles themselves are physically warrantied forever or as long as the home lasts, “whichever comes first” per Tesla.

It’s important to note that conventional solar panels will almost always come in at a lower total installed cost, a faster “breakeven point” and ultimately generate more value for the homeowner over their useful life than a home with a Tesla Solar Roof. On the other hand, the new roof tiles do come with a very impressive warranty that adds value beyond just their solar energy production value.

Consumer Reports starts off with a huge admission that it did not factor in any solar incentives or rebates in their calculations. In the US, this is a 30% rebate at the federal level alone and represents an inexcusable omission in their calculations. With Tesla’s numbers coming in below the target price of $24.50 per square foot without the rebates, it is clear that the new solar roof tiles met the financial requirements of Consumer Reports.

To see what the payouts look like in a few areas in the U.S., Consumer Reports pulled the numbers from Tesla’s website to see if the new solar roof tiles would be a good investment in three very different area: New York, Texas and California.

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The value of Tesla’s Solar Roof ultimately hinges on the amount of energy the solar roof tiles will generate. Sunny California tops the list as the state that will provide the most return for a solar roof investment, while Texas rounds out a close second. New Yorkers looking to purchase a solar roof will see the least value purely because of its northern location which receives less face time with the sun. This dictates the volume of energy the tiles can create, and thus how much money it can save a homeowner.

The other contributing factor to the equation is the price of electricity in the area. If the price of electricity is high, the value of the energy produced by the tiles is effectively worth more. In New York state, the average price of electricity is above the national average of 12 cents per kilowatt hour, coming in at 17.5 cents per kilowatt hour. Texas is at the opposite end of the spectrum at 11.41 cents per kilowatt hour and represents a less lucrative home for a solar system while California takes first place with the highest price at 18.68 cents per kilowatt hour (per EIA data from Feb 2017).

After running the numbers through Tesla’s Solar Roof calculator which you can do for yourself, Consumer Reports found that the installation in New York would payout and save the homeowner money over 30 years, largely due to the high price of electricity in the area. Consumer Reports also noted an additional state incentive to install solar in New York that would potentially slash another $5,000 off of the total purchase price.

Installing the solar roof tiles on a home in Texas would not payout due to the lower cost of electricity in the area. Finally, the home in California was a shoe in with high electricity cost and abundant sunshine.

The Consumer Reports analysis highlights that Tesla’s Solar Roof already makes sense in many areas of the nation. Even if the tiles don’t make sense on your home, it is worth checking to see if a traditional solar panel system could save you money as they are much easier to install and generally have better payouts. You can easily check to see if solar makes sense in your area by getting a solar cost estimate.

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Energy

Tesla Energy had a blockbuster 2024

Published

2 months ago

on

December 31, 2024

By

Credit: Tesla

Tesla Energy has become the undisputed dark horse of the electric vehicle maker. This was highlighted by Tesla Energy’s growing role in the company’s overall operations in the past quarters. 

And as per Tesla’s year-end milestone posts on X, Tesla Energy had a blockbuster 2024.

Tesla Energy’s 2024 milestones:

  • As per Tesla on its official social media account on X, the company has hit over 800,000 Powerwalls installed worldwide. 
  • From this number, over 100,000 Powerwall batteries have been enrolled in virtual power plant (VPP) programs.
  • The Powerwall 3 has officially been launched in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, the U.K., Germany, Italy, Australia, and New Zealand.
  • The Tesla Megapack hit over 22 GWh in operation across more than 60 countries across the globe.
  • The Lathrop Megafactory, which produces the Megapack, has been ramped to 40 GWh per year. 
  • The Lathrop Megafactory has also produced its 10,000th Megapack battery.
  • The Shanghai Megafactory was completed in just seven months, and it is ready to start Megapack production in Q1 2025.

Powerwall owners’ 2024 impact:

  • As per Tesla Energy, Powerwall owners generated a total of 4.5 TWh of solar energy globally in 2024. This was equivalent to powering a Model 3 for more than 17 billion miles.
  • A total of 1.1 TWh of energy was stored in Powerwalls in 2024. This protected homes from over 5.8 million outages during the year.
  • Tesla’s Storm Watch feature for Powerwall batteries covered 2.8 million severe weather events over the year.
  • Powerwall owners saw collective savings of over $800 million on utility bills.
  • Virtual Power Plants contributed over 2.2 GWh of power to the grid. This reduced the need for 2,200 metric tons of fossil fuel peaker plant emissions.

Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.

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Energy

Utah’s rPlus Energies breaks ground on Tesla Megapack battery system

Published

5 months ago

on

September 24, 2024

By

Credit: Tesla

Utah-based rPlus Energies recently held the groundbreaking ceremony for the Green River Energy Center, a 400 MW solar PV and 400 MW/1,600 MWh battery storage project in Eastern Utah. Tesla Megapacks will be used as the upcoming facility’s battery storage solution. 

At 400 MW/1,600 MWh, the Green River Energy Center is expected to become one of the largest solar-plus-storage projects under development in the United States. Once operational, the facility would supply power to PacifiCorp under a power purchase agreement, as noted in a press release. 

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox shared his excitement for the project during the Green River Energy Center’s groundbreaking event. As per the Utah Governor, the solar and battery storage system represents a notable step forward for the state’s sustainable energy efforts. 

“This project is being built in rural Utah, by rural Utahns, and for all of Utah. When rural Utah thrives, the entire state prospers. Today, we’re not just breaking ground—we’re building a future of affordable, abundant energy in Utah,” the official noted. 

The Green River Energy Center secured over $1 billion in construction debt financing earlier this year. The facility is also expected to create about 500 jobs, many of which will be filled by local workers. With this in mind, the solar and battery farm would likely prove to be a boost to Emery County’s economy, enhancing tax revenue, strengthening public services, and offering long-term employment opportunities for the area’s residents. 

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Sundt Construction will serve as the project’s contractor, EliTe Solar will supply the solar modules, and Tesla will provide the battery storage system for the project. Luigi Resta, President and CEO of rPlus Energies, noted that the Green River Energy Center is special because of the entities that have worked together to make the facility a reality. 

“It’s the partners that make this project special, that have made this monumental project possible. From our equipment providers to the onsite talent, and the support of the local and regional community, we owe this project’s success to each of you,” he stated. 

Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.

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Energy

Tesla Energy loses director who brought Autobidder

Published

6 months ago

on

September 5, 2024

By

(Credit: Tesla)

Tesla Energy is losing a director who brought Autobidder, a real-time trading and control platform that provides value-based asset management and portfolio optimization, to the company.

Rohan Ma, who has been at Tesla for just under eight years, announced he would depart the company on LinkedIn, aiming to take on a new opportunity elsewhere.

Ma posted:

“After eight years at Tesla, this will be my last week. It was a ride of a lifetime! Today, Tesla Energy is thriving and I can confidently say it’s in the best position it has ever been in to drive impact toward the original mission I signed up for. I’m proud to have contributed over the years to where it is now, and will be cheering the team on from the sidelines as they carry the torch forward and continue to relentlessly solve problems at the frontier of the energy transition.”

Ma started as the Senior Manager of Energy Optimization at Tesla back in November 2016. After four-and-a-half years at the position, he then moved on to a new role as the Director of Energy and Software Optimization. He has been in that role for over three years.

The exit of Ma is the latest in Tesla’s tough year in terms of losing high-level employees.

Earlier this year, as a part of widespread layoffs, Tesla eliminated up to 20 percent of its workforce and people like Rebecca Tinucci, who was the company’s Senior Director of EV Charging.

Tesla also lost Rohan Patel, Vice President of Global Public Policy and Business Development, and Martin Viecha, who was Head of Investor Relations, are just a few notables to depart.

Autobidder

Tesla’s Autobidder platform helps owners and operators make money by autonomously monetizing battery assets. It is a real-time trading and control platform that maximizes revenue according to business objectives and risk preferences.

Tesla Megapack, Autobidder to be deployed in big battery project in Queensland

Autobidder already has hundreds of megawatt-hours under management and continues to scale. It is hosted on Tesla’s secure cloud infrastructure that is engineered to handle large and complex computations.

Without Ma’s expertise, Autobidder would likely not be involved in Tesla’s Energy division at all, and although it is not frequently discussed, it is still a major part of the business’s growth over the past several years.

I’d love to hear from you! If you have any comments, concerns, or questions, please email me at joey@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @KlenderJoey, or if you have news tips, you can email us at tips@teslarati.com.

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