Musk: Solar Shingles Will Cost Less Than A Dumb Roof

Asphalt roofing? Egads. Musk is not comparing the solar tiles to the roofing materials in slums. Asphalt? Is that cheaper than blue tarps? Obviously, he's talking about the cost comparison to Welsh slate. Hence, the shipping cost and brittle comments.

Pass the champagne and hold the caviar. Have you found a new First Mate for your yacht?

^^^
That is the comparison...
 
I find it hilarious that on a site dedicated to technology .... so many posters are against new technologies, especially anything "green".

There's a difference between liking technology and breathless fanboyism.

Additionally, there's been enough "awesome products" that have never actually made it to market.

Or are you still using your Phantom console right now?

It's interesting looking technology, but there still appear to be drawbacks.

Sure, the glass panel survived a kettle ball drop better than the other tiles. But it was still essentially destroyed.
 
Except if you where it invest that $14,400 instead (even with a low return rate of 5%), the return is more like 9+ years, and that's also assuming you average $200/month on you electric bill.

Even here in Southern California, with one of the highest electric rates in the country, my average bill this year on a 2500 sqft house is less that $150/month, so I would be looking at a payback closer to 14+ years. Not worth it.
If you pay up front. If you get 20 or 30 year financing at a reasonable interest rate you save money on day one.
 
This isn't new. Dow came up/bought the idea in 2005. Guess what.. Dow effing Chemical couldn't keep them alive. http://client.dow.com/dowpowerhouse
And how many people have heard about it while it existed? There are probably already more people signing up for this than Dow had clients in their entire run.
If nobody tried something that someone else has failed at before we'd not have a lot of nice things we use today.
 
Reminds me of printers being free or cheaper than ink. The roof will be cheap, than the cost starts to go up. Wiring, battery backups, inverters, etc. I'm all for it. Would just like a realistic cost breakdown for a total install. My new shingles were cheap. Its the labour and profit margin that cost. How much of the total will be proprietary as apple has proven is very profitable.

I think the will eventually be solid state almost and nanophotovoltaic
 
Sure, the glass panel survived a kettle ball drop better than the other tiles. But it was still essentially destroyed.

And that's relevant because it's raining kettlebells where you live? Just look at what you're saying for a minute. "A-HA! It wouldn't survive a meteor hitting the roof! Gotcha! Look, it's shit!"
 
And that's relevant because it's raining kettlebells where you live? Just look at what you're saying for a minute. "A-HA! It wouldn't survive a meteor hitting the roof! Gotcha! Look, it's shit!"

No. I'm saying if you crush a couple tiles on a roof, it's no big deal.

With the solar cells, you're exposing electronics to the elements.

Also, in most cases, replacing a crushed tile is relatively straightforward.

Replacing one of these panels...doesn't look to be.
 
No. I'm saying if you crush a couple tiles on a roof, it's no big deal.

With the solar cells, you're exposing electronics to the elements.

Also, in most cases, replacing a crushed tile is relatively straightforward.

Replacing one of these panels...doesn't look to be.
You didn't seem to have watched the presentation. There is no electronics or wiring under the roof. And replacing one of these is not more complicated than replacing a traditional tile.
 
And that's relevant because it's raining kettlebells where you live? Just look at what you're saying for a minute. "A-HA! It wouldn't survive a meteor hitting the roof! Gotcha! Look, it's shit!"
Weight and height of drop of kettlebell?
There are places, especially in the Midwest that get ridiculous size hail, and even golf ball size stones can pack a mean punch.
 
If these are available at even a slight cost over regular shingles, I would buy them in a heartbeat.

Currently I am thinking about getting a metal roof once I get my roof redone.

Shingles are easy and cheap to replace, but the durability is absolutely horrible. At this point, there are quite a few patches on my roof where I have replaced shingles.

And when you need to just replace 1 or 2, the suckers are so brittle that a bunch more usually break or tear that are around the ones that need to be replaced.

The glue/tar that comes on them is trash and doesn't bind properly and even if it does, it will not bond properly to old shingles. And when high winds come and unbond them, they will not rebond like the shingle companies say they do.

Because of that, I have use roofing patch tar to reglue a bunch of the shingles back down.

It is a nightmare trying to keep a shingled roof in good shape.

Life's complicated enough! Stay with your original idea for a metal roof. They're accessible and durable (think hail//baseballs/branches) and they don't require an electrician to assemble, maintain and troubleshoot. The one hundred year and more warranties on metal roofs are far better than that offered by Musk with none of the complications associated by having it do anymore than a proper roofing material should, e.g., protect what's under it. Also, make sure to check with your home insurer for discounts they might offer on your policy for having a metal roof- many do.
 
You know, the keyword I think here is "will".... will can mean practically any time period. So, in that bullshitery sense, he's right.
 
Hmm...I don't see where they studied the propensity of solar tiles roofs to attract lightning. ;)

I'm gonna wait until they have a nano-machine solar spray paint...
 
Slate and other traditional materials used to be dirt cheap. Welsh slate included. In the Northeast US, Peach bottom slate used to be dirt cheap and a very common roofing material. Asbestos and then asphalt ruined all that by being cheap easy to install in and out fast junk. If people start using something the trade learns it well and the economy of scale kicks in then it becomes dirt cheap too. Just wonder how we get there when no one spends a dime on anything of quality on a house anymore.
 
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Weight and height of drop of kettlebell?
There are places, especially in the Midwest that get ridiculous size hail, and even golf ball size stones can pack a mean punch.
It seemed tougher as a regular clay tile. Regardless, just because you can think of a place where it might not be suitable, that doesn't mean it's completely unsuitable to use anywhere. But Oklahomans seem to build light houses, and then re-build them every year expecting a different outcome each tornado season.
 
There's a difference between liking technology and breathless fanboyism.
I don't expect breathless fanboyism. I expect reasoned skepticism. What I see here most of the time is naysaying, and arguments from ignorance.
 
You didn't seem to have watched the presentation. There is no electronics or wiring under the roof. And replacing one of these is not more complicated than replacing a traditional tile.

Bullshit. How does it move power? Wirelessly? Induction charging? Though a 3/4" plywood sheet?

I watched the whole presentation and I didn't see ANYTHING about the install process.

Had to go to an article in Fortune to find out it's a snap-together system. Which doesn't mean it's less complicated to replace individual tiles.
 
I don't expect breathless fanboyism. I expect reasoned skepticism. What I see here most of the time is naysaying, and arguments from ignorance.

You know the old saying about opinions and ass holes.

Also, since you only have cursory knowledge of the life and professional experience of the various members of this nominally anonymous forum, your position on so-called "naysayers" falls under this as well.

And, with most of them, look again. Most of them simply want more information. Because, as cool as the tech looks, without full info on the product, only a dumbass would endorse it (and look at all the dumbasses out there doing just that).
 
It seemed tougher as a regular clay tile. Regardless, just because you can think of a place where it might not be suitable, that doesn't mean it's completely unsuitable to use anywhere. But Oklahomans seem to build light houses, and then re-build them every year expecting a different outcome each tornado season.

What's with all these all-or-nothing posts of yours?

Nobody's saying they're unsuitable everywhere.

Also, the reason Oklahomans build their houses light is because there's no benefit given by their insurance company to build more storm resistance in.
And, if someone DOES build heaview construction, they're still fucked by the insurance companies in many cases.
 
What's with all these all-or-nothing posts of yours?

Nobody's saying they're unsuitable everywhere.
You don't see that I'm fighting against all or nothing? People dismiss things completely because they can think of a million in one situation where it wouldn't work, and many times they are wrong even about that. And then sit back and think they debunked the entire idea.
Skepticism is not dismissing everything out of hand. Skepticism is looking into things before making a judgement. Most posters here live and die by the notion of: "I don't know therefore it's impossible" Every new idea gets the same treatment. It's ridiculous on a supposed tech forum. Sometimes I feel like I'm in a young earth creationist forum. Of course not all, are like that. But when I see doubt coming from ignorance I'll continue to call it out. If you don't like it, you can ignore it.
Also, the reason Oklahomans build their houses light is because there's no benefit given by their insurance company to build more storm resistance in.
And, if someone DOES build heaview construction, they're still fucked by the insurance companies in many cases.
Insurance supposed to pay based the value of the property. So if they build houses that are more withstanding to storms, that are worth more, then in case the property gets damages the insurance should pay out based on the actual damages. But entire point of building stronger homes is that it doesn't get destroyed every year by the thunderstorms.
Unless insurance works very differently there than anywhere else I don't know how can they get fucked by building more tornado resistant houses. So please elaborate.
 
You know the old saying about opinions and ass holes.
Kind of hypocritical to cite that, right after offering up yours.
Also, since you only have cursory knowledge of the life and professional experience of the various members of this nominally anonymous forum, your position on so-called "naysayers" falls under this as well.
The great thing about forums is that I don't have to know their life outside of here. I can judge them solely based on the behaviour exhibited here. Because what they do during their daily life is kind of irrelevant to this. You can be a rocket scientist by day, if you post misinformation on a forum you'll get called out.
And, with most of them, look again. Most of them simply want more information. Because, as cool as the tech looks, without full info on the product, only a dumbass would endorse it (and look at all the dumbasses out there doing just that).
Just go back on the first page and read my first post. I'm not endorsing it, I made several statements about the possible pitfalls of it. When someone posts "HAAH hailstorm!" not even looking at the information that says it should be tougher than regular clay tiles. That doesn't translate to me as wanting more information. That's lack on information combined with a total lack of interest to look at the information.

And did I call out everyone? No I only called out a few people. I'm not saying that everyone is like that. But the number of such post is uncanny for a tech forum.
 
Bullshit. How does it move power? Wirelessly? Induction charging? Though a 3/4" plywood sheet?

I watched the whole presentation and I didn't see ANYTHING about the install process.

Had to go to an article in Fortune to find out it's a snap-together system. Which doesn't mean it's less complicated to replace individual tiles.

And here you are doing the exact same thing not even looking at the information already available. The shingles have metallic contacts on the top and bottom, so you interconnect them just by laying them on top of each other. So theoretically the only wiring needs to go to the first and last tile in the sequence, and not individual wiring for all tiles. What I meant is that there are no wires criss crossing the roof under the tiles.

It's a snap together system as much as any tile roof. So it's as complicated to replace a tile as with a regular clay tile roof. What makes you think it's any more complicated than that?

I was living in a house with tile roof for twenty five years, and during that time less than 10 tiles needed replacing. So it's not an impossible logistical nightmare. The actual wood roofing under the tiles needs replacing before the tiles themselves.
 
I find it hilarious that on a site dedicated to technology .... so many posters are against new technologies, especially anything "green".

Bitter experience, just in tech alone! But yeah, RDRAM is the wave of the future! Just pay a bit more, its worth it! Bulldozer, the bees knees! HD-DVD! GREEN HARD DRIVES MAN, that wear out even before the shortened warranty. Lots of saved watts and lost data.

Also, when it comes to green energy, well it is a four letter word to me. I want it to work but it usually is involving some rent seeker or snake oil salesman trying to get money out of my wallet or gov subsidies. I found it rather funny, almost conspiratorial that about 6 months after I swapped out my most used light bulbs in my house I have a man knocking on my door asking me to pay $3.50 more per month in electricity rates (given my average usage of course) to have only "GREEN" solar/wind energy sent down the wire to my house. This guy has the gaul to try and shame me to save mother earth to pay his carbon credit/green power business a fee each month to feel good about saving the earth. I was already saving about $3 per month by swapping to LED bulbs. I never did get a chance to ask him how exactly the power company and his company guarantee all the power to my house is ONLY from solar.
 
Kind of hypocritical to cite that, right after offering up yours.

Not really. A reminder is just that.

I've run into far too many people who think that their ass hole analogue is holy writ.

The great thing about forums is that I don't have to know their life outside of here.

No. But simply assuming the background can leave you looking silly from time to time.
We all do, of course, but some people like to minimize such occurrences.

I can judge them solely based on the behaviour exhibited here. Because what they do during their daily life is kind of irrelevant to this.

Not really. If someone here installs solar roofing panels, or roofing in general, they have a small bit of cachet. Not saying what they're saying should be taken as the aforementioned holy writ. Just, it's entirely possible they know more about the subject than you (or I).

You can be a rocket scientist by day, if you post misinformation on a forum you'll get called out.

You're assuming what you're posting is not, in and of itself, misinformation.
 
And here you are doing the exact same thing not even looking at the information already available. The shingles have metallic contacts on the top and bottom, so you interconnect them just by laying them on top of each other. So theoretically the only wiring needs to go to the first and last tile in the sequence, and not individual wiring for all tiles. What I meant is that there are no wires criss crossing the roof under the tiles.

I've SEARCHED for available information. Musk's video p[resentation was somewhat technical info-lite.

And nothing else I found except for the article I talked about mentioned the connection system.

As for your self correction from "no wiring under the roof", I'll leave it there.
 
If these are available at even a slight cost over regular shingles, I would buy them in a heartbeat.

Currently I am thinking about getting a metal roof once I get my roof redone.

Shingles are easy and cheap to replace, but the durability is absolutely horrible. At this point, there are quite a few patches on my roof where I have replaced shingles.

And when you need to just replace 1 or 2, the suckers are so brittle that a bunch more usually break or tear that are around the ones that need to be replaced.

The glue/tar that comes on them is trash and doesn't bind properly and even if it does, it will not bond properly to old shingles. And when high winds come and unbond them, they will not rebond like the shingle companies say they do.

Because of that, I have use roofing patch tar to reglue a bunch of the shingles back down.

It is a nightmare trying to keep a shingled roof in good shape.
This is one of the reasons why now by code you cannot layer shingles. You need to rip everything off including the felt paper, inspect the underlayment for signs of damage, repair as necessary, then put on new 30 lb felt, new class four hail/ wind resistant architectural shingles in a five row offset. You should also do your roofing work on the hottest days of the year with little to no wind and no precip in the forecast for 3-5 days. Multiple layers of shingles also add lots of weight to the roof. A properly installed asphalt shingle roof is just as good as slate or tile.
 
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It still amazes me how people who live in overly sunny areas think that solar panels will somehow be just as beneficial people in underly sunny areas as they will be to them. Some of us only average 90 days of sunlight per year if you know what I mean. Not to mention having said panels buried in snow for up to half of the year.


Well, I'm in California and I take pity on them all.
 
This is one of the reasons why now by code you cannot layer shingles. You need to rip everything off including the felt paper, inspect the underlayment for signs of damage, repair as necessary, then put on new 30 lb felt, new class four hail/ wind resistant architectural shingles in a five row offset. You should also do your roofing work on the hottest days of the year with little to no wind and no precip in the forecast for 3-5 days. Multiple layers of shingles also add lots of weight to the roof. A properly installed asphalt shingle roof is just as good as slate or tile.

The shingles on my roof are not layered. When we bought our house, the roof was supposedly about 2 years old.

Just as good as slate or tile???? I would have to disagree there. Maybe in some areas of the country, but not around here.
 
The shingles on my roof are not layered. When we bought our house, the roof was supposedly about 2 years old.

Just as good as slate or tile???? I would have to disagree there. Maybe in some areas of the country, but not around here.
They're not layered? wtf? Do you have a picture of this or link?
 
They're not layered? wtf? Do you have a picture of this or link?

Layered generally means in regards to roof replacement that they install the new shingles on top of the old shingles instead of removing all the old shingles before adding the new shingles.

So yeah.. in that regard, my shingles are not layered.

They are installed properly though. (layered in regards to each higher row covers about 1/2 the row below it)
 
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