
[Tesla] Solar Roof Cheaper Than Regular Roof BEFORE Solar Energy - jackross
https://electrek.co/2016/11/17/tesla-solar-roof-cost-less-than-regular-roof-even-before-energy-production-elon-musk/
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JoeAltmaier
...for replacing concrete and ceramic roofs. Which are popular in some sunny
places but absolutely absent in northern climates. Which may be ok, since we
have poor solar potential anyway (sun always at an angle through lots of
atmosphere).

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kylecordes
This initially sounded quite surprising to me, how can a high-technology
product compete with something as incredibly low technology as roofing
material? It turns out that I was thinking of the ubiquitous roofing material
where I live: asphalt shingles. The solar roof panels might be competitive
with concrete and slate roofs, which typically cost (from a few minutes of
Internet research) 2 to 3x the cost of an asphalt roof.

(I suspect there are more than just economic and stylistic reasons for the
choice of one type versus the other. Here in the Midwest, we randomly get
hailstorms causing major roof damage. I wonder if a "hard" roof (asphalt has a
bit of give) is even more vulnerable?)

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brianwawok
A steel roof will last for the life of your house.

Kinda ugly though, and people don't love the sound it makes.

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dx034
I imagine that a steel roof must be horrible in a hailstorm. Rain is bad
enough already. But probably good for remote places to avoid maintenance.

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k__
I lived right under the roof for a few years and I had a window ledge made of
metal on my bedroom window. It was horribly lound when it rained :(

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wott
Yes, I lived in a place where they commonly put a steel sheet on the window
sills (not sure of the terminology), probably to protect the concrete from
water infiltration, and it was horrible as soon as it rained. And it rained a
lot. Like almost always when it was not snowing.

In fact, it was worse when the rain was just a drizzle and the drops coming
from above the window would fall distinctly, one after the other, on the
sheet.

In the place where I am now, metal roofs are only used for barns (or
industrial warehouse and such, if there was any).

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wjnc
I predict this to be at least 10x off the mark. Concrete roof tile is about
€2-3 a piece and lasts 50 years. 16 of these make a square meter.

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heisenbit
From the article:

>He said that the glass developed by Tesla for the solar roof tiles weigh “a
third, a quarter and sometimes even a fifth” of other current concrete and
ceramic roof solutions. Musk calculated that because of the weight and
fragility of the current products, logistic costs and breakage are important
parts of the total cost.

You clearly don't get how much can be saved by handling a much lighter panel.
Tiles are so much more fragile than eggs where costly solutions like paper
mash carriers are used and only a fraction arrive at the customer. Also tiles
are so perishable that storing them costs a ton - especially as they need
expensive support infrastructures like pallets, ground and often fresh air.

The thing that still confuses me is why panels less difficult to handle if one
is heavier and larger than a single tile. Probably I need to move a step right
to re-enter the distortion field. Right, now I feel I get it. Can't explain it
but it definitely feels spacey.

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syphilis2
I'm interested in knowing if this includes the cost of the batteries the roof
will be charging. The Powerwall is listed as $5,500 for 14kWh, so I suspect
not. Also, it sounds like he's referencing tile roofs when making the cost
comparison.

