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Solar Roof

tesla.com

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Re: Solar Roof

#251

Post by foxylad »

Does anyone know how the electrical connection works?

It seems to me that this is critical. If connections fail in a really hostile environment (high thermal range and moisture levels) then maintenance will kill any savings.

But if they've solved this problem, (and perhaps have an efficient way to replace tiles without removing the ones above), then I'd guess they will be wildly successful.

I once visited my brother who was having a new slate roof installed. While inspecting it, he saw a cracked slate on the bottom row. He insisted it be replaced, which meant removing an ever-increasing triangle of tiles above it, until you reached the ridge. The contractor did not have a good day.

Re: Solar Roof

#252

Post by rdudek »

ianai wrote: post #157
pyoung wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They are using Google's Project Sunroof[1] to do the modeling. The tool uses satellite images of your roof to create the estimates, and accounts for orientation, shading from trees, etc... [1] https://www.google.com/get/sunroof

That's amazing. Just seriously amazing.

I'll totally use this when making my next house purchase.

Re: Solar Roof

#253

Post by rhino369 »

ghaff wrote: post #169
rhino369 wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think people overvalue the value of being off the grid. The average person isn't doing anything that critical at home, so they can just deal with it. Diesel generators work for people with critical use cases. Katrina is the only time in my lifetime where a major city / region was without power and without gas deliveries for a long time.

Where I live (Northeast), pretty much the only time where an extended power outage is a serious problem is in the winter. And that's because of losing heat. A Powerwall-like "UPS" that could handle some critical systems (basically my furnace) automatically is interesting. But any solar panels are likely to be under snow and ice. Pretty much the only thing that's really a problem for me in a power outage is losing hea…

How much heat would a powerwall even create? I suspect electric heat would drain those suckers pretty fast.

Why doesn't the north east have gas heating?

Re: Solar Roof

#254

Post by salesguy222 »

NamTaf wrote: post #229
toomuchtodo wrote: post #214

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Funny enough, it was someone's side project at Google.

So was Maps, originally. This is why there's so many fans of the 20% project concept.

A distributed file sharing system (later known as the Internet) was Tim Behrners Lee's side project at CERN for a while too :)

He was only allowed to take his 20% project to 100% after his manager wrote up a justification XD

Re: Solar Roof

#255

Post by ShannonAlther »

martalist wrote: post #226
stratigos wrote: post #217

People are thinking way too much about how much this saves them at a personal level. I think people should instead be thinking about how we can save the existence of the entire species, and all other higher order forms of life on earth, rather than focusing on their individual tax breaks, savings, or other trivial concerns. Yes, your cash flow is rendered quite trivial if life on Earth ends. Invest in the Life Econom…

While noble, it seems the opposite is true. I think most people don't care about future problems, let alone other life forms. Musk has done so well precisely because he's marketed his products in a way that they appeal to people on a personal level. I mean, he could have started with a low performance, average-looking, electric, family sedan. Instead he sold something much more emotive/egotistical, with huge success.…

> I mean, he could have started with a low performance, average-looking, electric, family sedan.

There are other reasons Tesla started with a high-end model. Because building the cars was going to take a lot of R&D, Tesla supported the cost by starting with fancy sports cars, which have a better ROI, and then used the technology to manufacture less pricey cars later on.

Source (ctrl + f "the business plan"): http://waitbutwhy.com/2015/06/how-tesla-will-change-your-lif...

Re: Solar Roof

#257

Post by rhino369 »

Gatsky wrote: post #246
wyager wrote: post #232

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is naïve, useless advice. First off, we are not at existential risk from climate change. Most reasonable estimates suggest on the order of single-digit percent productivity losses for society over the next several decades. Substantial and unfortunate, but not existence-threatening, and in fact not even enough to outweigh reasonably expectable productivity gains from technological development. There are much more…

> First off, we are not at existential risk from climate change. A bold claim indeed.

Not really. Even RCP8.0 wouldn't lead to extinction of the human race.

Re: Solar Roof

#258

Post by awkwardtortoise »

stratigos wrote: post #217

People are thinking way too much about how much this saves them at a personal level. I think people should instead be thinking about how we can save the existence of the entire species, and all other higher order forms of life on earth, rather than focusing on their individual tax breaks, savings, or other trivial concerns. Yes, your cash flow is rendered quite trivial if life on Earth ends. Invest in the Life Econom…

Tesla roof isn't going to save the species and life isn't going to end. I expect this type of comment on reddit, not on hacker news.

> Invest in the Life Economy, and turn your back on the Death Economy.

Are you serious? This doesn't pass the smell test. This sounds like something from a PR firm hired by Tesla to "evangelize" on social media.

Re: Solar Roof

#259

Post by devrandomguy »

RodericDay wrote: post #221
stratigos wrote: post #217

People are thinking way too much about how much this saves them at a personal level. I think people should instead be thinking about how we can save the existence of the entire species, and all other higher order forms of life on earth, rather than focusing on their individual tax breaks, savings, or other trivial concerns. Yes, your cash flow is rendered quite trivial if life on Earth ends. Invest in the Life Econom…

People serious about saving the planet aren't putting solar shingles on their mansions. They're downsizing.

In a community of entrepreneurs and developers of all stripes, scaling down is an unpopular solution. But, it is the only one that I have been able to follow through on, myself. I have actually come to enjoy the newfound simplicity in my life.

Re: Solar Roof

#260

Post by rdudek »

maxerickson wrote: post #198
xbmcuser wrote: post #194

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In 30 years how many times will you have to redo your roof I think one of Tesla solar roofs points was that many houses in the US have to reshingle. Although I still don't think it might be worth it for you.

Shingle warranties are often 20-30 years.

Not in CO. Lots of hail damage, roofs get replaced on average around 10y mark. Also, insurance, older roof == higher premium.
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