In recent comments on Twitter, Elon Musk announced that Tesla’s solar roof and traditional solar panels would now only be sold as an integrated product with the Powerwall, the company’s popular residential battery system. Tesla would start selling its bundled residential energy products early next week.
In a later tweet, Musk said having an integrated solar and battery system should bring some benefits, such as a more seamless installation process. The Powerwall battery would also simply interface between the energy meter and the home’s main breaker panels, providing customers with backup energy in case a power outage occurs.
“Solar energy is supplied exclusively to Powerwall. Powerwall works only between the energy meter and the home’s main breaker panel, allowing for super easy installation and seamless whole-home backup during utility outages, ”Musk wrote.
The Tesla Powerwall is one of the most popular residential battery systems on the market, in part due to the fact that it offers the least expensive storage option based on stored kWh, according to data from EnergySage in its 11th semi-annual Solar Marketplace Intel Report. Since the demand for the battery has led to long wait times for Powerwall customers, Tesla’s decision to sell the solar energy storage system makes sense.
Musk’s recent updates came not long after a Twitter interaction with ARK Invest Director of Research Brett Winton, who described the current situation with his Tesla solar system. According to the analyst, his solar + Powerwall installation has not generated a single watt-hour since it was installed in January, simply because the utility did not approve the connection. In his response, Musk noted that utility permission is typically required when the Powerwall is full and able to stabilize the grid.
Tesla’s Solar Roof tiles have been the subject of several news articles lately, in part because of reports from customers who noted that their system’s estimates have seen a notable increase in price. The price increases are significant, and one customer is telling Ars Technica that their Solar Roof quote had been updated from its original estimate of $ 66,000 to a much more expensive $ 87,000. “Tesla has discontinued its solar roof contracts and has raised prices for people (like me) who have already signed a contract with them,” noted the Solar Roof customer.
Tesla has not provided details on these reported price increases, although the company’s online solar roof cost calculator now asks potential customers about the ‘complexity’ of their roof, taking into account factors such as pitch, number of connections, chimneys, and others. characteristics. Tesla also emphasized in its online cost calculator that “complex roofs take more time and material to install than simple roofs.”
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