Tesla’s Tech Tiles: Hidden in Plain Sight

Personally, when I think of Tesla, I think of their stunning, quick, technologically advanced cars. Ok, and occasionally Elon Musk’s tweets. But Tesla is more than just a car manufacturer. It is also one of the industry leaders in energy capture, conversion, and storage. One way they do this is with sleek solar solutions, namely their solar panels and solar roof tiles. 

Solar Panels

Most of us have seen solar panels on rooftops, and Tesla’s regular solar panels do not look much different at first glance. However, there are a few interesting features that separate them from the pack. After purchasing the solar panel company SolarCity in 2016 for $2.6 billion, Tesla incorporated the newly acquired company’s tech into their energy division. Two key features of SolarCity’s technology, which Tesla has since been able to incorporate, are proprietary mounting hardware that snaps together on rooftops eliminating the need for rails, as well as skirts that are used to hide the hardware and panel edges. 

This is all fancy talk for saying that together, they produce a super sleek look that helps the panels blend right in with the roof. With that being said, these panels are not necessarily produced by Tesla. They are manufactured by the Korean company Hanwha Q Cells Co., Ltd, and are then sold by Tesla. For a 100% Tesla solar experience, we need to take a look at the Ferrari of solar energy systems, aka Tesla’s solar roof.

A Tile with Style

One reason why some people choose not to install traditional solar panels is because they dislike the look and how much they stand out. Tesla’s normal solar panels help mitigate this concern, but their roof tile product completely squashes it. As you can see below, it quite literally looks like a typical roof with shingles. 

Besides the added benefit of having a roof that produces energy all day, the tiles are 3x stronger than those found on a typical roof. Just check out the comparison in the gif below. Wild, right?

Icing on the Cake

The icing on the cake is Tesla’s powerwall. Solar panels and tiles are great at harnessing solar energy and converting it to electricity, but all of that energy needs to be stored somewhere if it is not being used right away. That’s where the powerwall comes in. Both Tesla’s solar panels and solar roof come standard with a powerwall, which is frickin’ amazing. When it’s a cloudy day, or it’s the winter and there’s less sunlight, energy stored in the powerwall can be used to keep the energy flowing to all of your devices and appliances. This is perfect for when storms or even natural disasters knock out power. You no longer need to rely on fossil-fuel powered generators that produce harmful emissions. With a solar panel product and a powerwall, homeowners can stay green even when their neighborhood goes dark. 

So what are you waiting for? Once I move out of my parent’s house (if I ever do haha), Tesla’s solar products are at the top of the list for things I’d consider adding to my home. Beyond the positive impact on the planet they bring, I would sleep better at night knowing that even if the power goes out, I’d have the system in place to make sure all of my electronics and appliances keep running smoothly. And in 2021, that’s pretty much everything we own!