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Tesla-SolarCity plant at Riverbend in South Buffalo. [Source: Derek Gee/Buffalo News] Tesla-SolarCity plant at Riverbend in South Buffalo. [Source: Derek Gee/Buffalo News]

Energy

Tesla Solar Roof tile production begins at Gigafactory 2, customer installs soon to follow

Tesla-SolarCity plant at Riverbend in South Buffalo. [Source: Derek Gee/Buffalo News]

Published

7 years ago

on

Tesla has begun production of its highly-anticipated Solar Roof tiles from the company’s Gigafactory 2 facility in Buffalo, NY. According to an email sent by Tesla, production of the photovoltaic glass roof tiles began last month and the company expects first customer installations to begin in the following months.

The announcement made by Tesla follows a series of production delays, since CEO Elon Musk first unveiled the company’s glass roof tiles more than a year ago. Tesla initially expected the rollout of the solar shingles to begin in 2017, with the manufacturing of the first two types of tiles — smooth and textured — to start during summer. Due to unforeseen delays, however, the mass production and installation of the shingles was ultimately pushed back, first to late 2017, and later, to 2018.

Over the past few months, several sightings of Solar Roof installations were observed by the Tesla community. These installations, however, turned out to be exclusive only to select employees of the California-based electric car and energy company. The glass solar roof tiles were being manufactured in Tesla’s Fremont factory at the time, a facility that is, while capable, unable to produce tiles on the same pace and scale as Gigafactory 2.

For the most part, Tesla has been fairly silent about the progress of its Solar Roof production. There were signs that a ramp-up was happening, such as solar cell manufacturer Panasonic opening new jobs for product expansion, as well as our report on a Tesla patent featuring an adhesive that can conduct electricity through the solar tiles. With Tesla’s recent announcement, however, the timeline for Solar Roof installations has become significantly clearer.

If any, the fact that the Solar Roofs are now being manufactured in Gigafactory 2 means that the photovoltaic tiles are rolling off the production line faster than ever. This ramp-up seems to be well within Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s expectations. Musk, after all, stated in a 2016 interview that he believes the 1.2 million-square-foot Buffalo, NY facility is capable of potentially producing up to 10 gigawatts of solar products every year.

RELATED: How much will a Tesla Solar Roof cost on my home?

Bloomberg New Energy Finance analyst Hugh Bromley believes that the Solar Tiles’ appeal will not only be limited to the United States, as other countries such as Australia might prove to be lucrative markets for the Silicon Valley-based energy company.

“It may actually do well in overseas markets where solar-photovoltaic is cheap, and homeowners are used to paying a premium for building materials and cars — such as Australia,” Bromley said in an email, according to a Bloomberg report.

 

Tesla’s Solar Roof tiles are quite unique in the way that they are both functional and aesthetically pleasing. Developed in collaboration with SolarCity, the Solar Tiles look almost indistinguishable from conventional roof tiles despite featuring a full-fledged solar panel. Being constructed from tempered glass, the tiles are pretty durable too, capable of surviving impacts that would otherwise compromise traditional roof materials like terracotta and slate. Paired with Tesla’s Powerwall 2 unit, the Solar Roof has the potential to give customers true independence from conventional power grids.

If you’re on the market for a solar roof or considering the installation of solar panels for your home or business, consider getting a customized solar cost estimate from a local installer through our partner at UnderstandSolar. 

 

 

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Simon is a reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday.

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Energy

Tesla Energy had a blockbuster 2024

Published

2 months ago

on

December 31, 2024

By

Credit: Tesla

Tesla Energy has become the undisputed dark horse of the electric vehicle maker. This was highlighted by Tesla Energy’s growing role in the company’s overall operations in the past quarters. 

And as per Tesla’s year-end milestone posts on X, Tesla Energy had a blockbuster 2024.

Tesla Energy’s 2024 milestones:

  • As per Tesla on its official social media account on X, the company has hit over 800,000 Powerwalls installed worldwide. 
  • From this number, over 100,000 Powerwall batteries have been enrolled in virtual power plant (VPP) programs.
  • The Powerwall 3 has officially been launched in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, the U.K., Germany, Italy, Australia, and New Zealand.
  • The Tesla Megapack hit over 22 GWh in operation across more than 60 countries across the globe.
  • The Lathrop Megafactory, which produces the Megapack, has been ramped to 40 GWh per year. 
  • The Lathrop Megafactory has also produced its 10,000th Megapack battery.
  • The Shanghai Megafactory was completed in just seven months, and it is ready to start Megapack production in Q1 2025.

Powerwall owners’ 2024 impact:

  • As per Tesla Energy, Powerwall owners generated a total of 4.5 TWh of solar energy globally in 2024. This was equivalent to powering a Model 3 for more than 17 billion miles.
  • A total of 1.1 TWh of energy was stored in Powerwalls in 2024. This protected homes from over 5.8 million outages during the year.
  • Tesla’s Storm Watch feature for Powerwall batteries covered 2.8 million severe weather events over the year.
  • Powerwall owners saw collective savings of over $800 million on utility bills.
  • Virtual Power Plants contributed over 2.2 GWh of power to the grid. This reduced the need for 2,200 metric tons of fossil fuel peaker plant emissions.

Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.

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Energy

Utah’s rPlus Energies breaks ground on Tesla Megapack battery system

Published

5 months ago

on

September 24, 2024

By

Credit: Tesla

Utah-based rPlus Energies recently held the groundbreaking ceremony for the Green River Energy Center, a 400 MW solar PV and 400 MW/1,600 MWh battery storage project in Eastern Utah. Tesla Megapacks will be used as the upcoming facility’s battery storage solution. 

At 400 MW/1,600 MWh, the Green River Energy Center is expected to become one of the largest solar-plus-storage projects under development in the United States. Once operational, the facility would supply power to PacifiCorp under a power purchase agreement, as noted in a press release. 

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox shared his excitement for the project during the Green River Energy Center’s groundbreaking event. As per the Utah Governor, the solar and battery storage system represents a notable step forward for the state’s sustainable energy efforts. 

“This project is being built in rural Utah, by rural Utahns, and for all of Utah. When rural Utah thrives, the entire state prospers. Today, we’re not just breaking ground—we’re building a future of affordable, abundant energy in Utah,” the official noted. 

The Green River Energy Center secured over $1 billion in construction debt financing earlier this year. The facility is also expected to create about 500 jobs, many of which will be filled by local workers. With this in mind, the solar and battery farm would likely prove to be a boost to Emery County’s economy, enhancing tax revenue, strengthening public services, and offering long-term employment opportunities for the area’s residents. 

Sundt Construction will serve as the project’s contractor, EliTe Solar will supply the solar modules, and Tesla will provide the battery storage system for the project. Luigi Resta, President and CEO of rPlus Energies, noted that the Green River Energy Center is special because of the entities that have worked together to make the facility a reality. 

“It’s the partners that make this project special, that have made this monumental project possible. From our equipment providers to the onsite talent, and the support of the local and regional community, we owe this project’s success to each of you,” he stated. 

Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.

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Energy

Tesla Energy loses director who brought Autobidder

Published

6 months ago

on

September 5, 2024

By

(Credit: Tesla)

Tesla Energy is losing a director who brought Autobidder, a real-time trading and control platform that provides value-based asset management and portfolio optimization, to the company.

Rohan Ma, who has been at Tesla for just under eight years, announced he would depart the company on LinkedIn, aiming to take on a new opportunity elsewhere.

Ma posted:

“After eight years at Tesla, this will be my last week. It was a ride of a lifetime! Today, Tesla Energy is thriving and I can confidently say it’s in the best position it has ever been in to drive impact toward the original mission I signed up for. I’m proud to have contributed over the years to where it is now, and will be cheering the team on from the sidelines as they carry the torch forward and continue to relentlessly solve problems at the frontier of the energy transition.”

Ma started as the Senior Manager of Energy Optimization at Tesla back in November 2016. After four-and-a-half years at the position, he then moved on to a new role as the Director of Energy and Software Optimization. He has been in that role for over three years.

The exit of Ma is the latest in Tesla’s tough year in terms of losing high-level employees.

Earlier this year, as a part of widespread layoffs, Tesla eliminated up to 20 percent of its workforce and people like Rebecca Tinucci, who was the company’s Senior Director of EV Charging.

Tesla also lost Rohan Patel, Vice President of Global Public Policy and Business Development, and Martin Viecha, who was Head of Investor Relations, are just a few notables to depart.

Autobidder

Tesla’s Autobidder platform helps owners and operators make money by autonomously monetizing battery assets. It is a real-time trading and control platform that maximizes revenue according to business objectives and risk preferences.

Tesla Megapack, Autobidder to be deployed in big battery project in Queensland

Autobidder already has hundreds of megawatt-hours under management and continues to scale. It is hosted on Tesla’s secure cloud infrastructure that is engineered to handle large and complex computations.

Without Ma’s expertise, Autobidder would likely not be involved in Tesla’s Energy division at all, and although it is not frequently discussed, it is still a major part of the business’s growth over the past several years.

I’d love to hear from you! If you have any comments, concerns, or questions, please email me at joey@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @KlenderJoey, or if you have news tips, you can email us at tips@teslarati.com.

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