141–150 of 290 posts
This appears to be a great implementation of an idea that's been kicking around a while. I love the detail of engineering that's gone into this and I really hope the numbers stack up to make it viable. It's the first Tesla product where I've thought to myself "wow, I really want that" and I hope that I'll have a roof like this at some point. However I remain skeptical that the efficiency when taking into account to t…
Asphalt shingles need to be replaced, depending on climate and other factors that cause them to degrade, every 10(?) to 20 years. Thus at least 5% of the total roofing market in existing residential houses, is a potential customer each year.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm genuinely curious - what is it about the pictured solar shingles' look that you don't like? To my view and taste, asphalt shingles are pretty ugly; the pictured solar shingles don't look particularly better but they don't look any worse. Thoughts?
There are several things. Firstly, they look taped on. We clearly see that there are normal tiles underneath, giving the same impression that a piece of cloth would have if a hole in it had been fixed by stitching a completely different piece of cloth on it. Secondly, they are not properly aligned at the edge. It might be a bit OCD, but I wouldn't expect my wooden parquetry to stop before reaching the wall. Thirdly,…
One and three I can see, I figure two could just be quality of installation - other types of shingles could be installed mis-aligned too.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, it's true. It might not jump out at me, but that is indeed just me.
Side topic, but I wonder if there's a pivot point coming where household appliances could be offered in DC versions. It would be great to avoid the inverter efficiency loss / point of failure. Could there be a standard DC interior wiring system with line voltage for the fridge / dishwasher / laundry machines and let's say LED lights, phone chargers, etc? The need for AC power is just an artifact of long transmission…
I had serious misgivings when Tesla/SolarCity announced a switch of focus to building-integrated PV. Historically, BIPV is where a PV technology goes to die after it's failed to compete against incumbent module designs. But these have far better aesthetics than previous BIPV efforts. They look better individually and they aren't clumped in one odd shiny patch on the roof like past BIPV. Search for images of solar shi…
Let's remind the whole picture here: We want to come back to global greenhouse gases emissions on 1990, because they were balanced by nature's absorption. It often happens that the cost of building solar panels, transporting them to the location, disposing them before their estimated time-to-live and getting rid of all their chemicals emit more carbon than we save by using electricity from the solar panels.
Another bias is: By making energy cheaper, does it encourage the use of said energy, thereby offsetting the gains? "I've saved 20% of carbon emissions compared to having a petrol-based SUV" tells another story than "I don't have an SUV".
Greenhouse gas ecology is hard. The only way to avoid doing those analysis would be to tax carbon emissions for the side effects they produce. Then we would be able to just by the cheapest, which would also be the most energy-efficient.
Roof top solar is critical for electrification of transportation since more demands would be placed on grid. SolarPV and EV go hand in hand. This product addresses many of the objections about aesthetics of Solar. TSLA has solid vision, hopefully they execute it and execute it well.
Home PV and EV doesn't go hand in hand for everyone that uses their EV to commute to work, though. I guess that represents a significant fraction of the vehicle park.
Solar panels on cars are another option. I used to think that was a bad idea, considering that an electric vehicle uses vastly more power than solar panels could ever hope to generate. Then I thought about my own driving patterns; On a typical work day, I drive about three miles to work, park in the sun for 8 hours, and then drive three miles home. With an electric vehicle and a solar panel on the roof, I might not even have to plug it in except on long trips. Even if that wasn't true, if a solar panel could save me, say, 10 full charges per year, it's probably worth a little extra weight and cost.
Question: how would I complain to Bloomberg about this?
I'm sure i'm not the only one who feels like this is possibly the iphone moment of Solarcity/Tesla: an old-ish idea, made sexy and tasty to consumers, together with technology reaching a tipping point(and also Musk again finding a way to maximally exploit government subsidies for clean tech.) The tesla car itself could count as well, but felt less "design driven" imo. If this fails, everyone will call it obviously du…
I'm not sure. Rumor mill has it that SC has been struggling, and the recent buyout from Tesla makes it look like Musk is transferring cash to himself. Musk talks alot , and I'm still on the fence as to whether this is vaporware meant to distract from that.