In this sense, a new roof becomes just as much a style choice as it becomes a choice to go solar.

Pricing for Everyone

As in many new technologies, prohibitive startup costs are often the cause of slow or no adoption for homeowners when talking about solar. And despite the fact that solar PV has never been more affordable than it is today, the up-front costs are still a barrier for most. That being said, Tesla is hoping to position its BIPV for when you’re ready to replace your roof, an essential part of every home that in many cases needs to be replaced every 20 years.

To make it irresistible for anyone and everyone to install solar quicker, Tesla is planning to offer their new roofs for even less than the typical ‘dumb roofs’ (asphalt typically being the lowest in price) - and that doesn’t include the energy savings you’ll get after having it installed.

Several folks are still skeptical of these claims though, as Tesla has remained vague on the numbers to back up their claims. We’re optimists though, and looking at Elon Musk’s track record, we’re confident that Tesla will deliver on its promises.

Just like Rise, Tesla has realized that in order to get people to buy into sustainable products, there needs to be a financial incentive, equal or increased aesthetic value, or no-brainer pricing that makes the product irresistible. To get adoption, there needs to be little to no friction, and with this announcement, Tesla has effectively tapped into a very mainstream market.

The Unknowns (…stay tuned!)

It’s true, there’s a ton of hype around this upcoming product - but here are some important facts that are missing:

• What’s the actual cost of an installation? We only know that Tesla claims it will be competitive with traditional asphalt roofing solutions.
• What are the shingles made from and how do they perform? (Some PV materials can be inexpensive but have a big environmental footprint.)
• How are they installed?
• If you’re in Canada, you might be waiting a while - SolarCity, (now part of Tesla Inc.) has yet to make a hop to the Canadian market. That means you may still need to wait a while before you can purchase these.

Check out the unveil video from Tesla: