Tesla’s Solar Roof

I am skeptical.  Those solar tiles might be a little cheaper than terracotta… and they come with an ‘infinite’ warranty but the power warranty is 30 years and that is the only warranty that matters.  Terracotta will easily last twice that long and a good standing seam zinc roof will last a century.  When longevity is taken into consideration, those solar tiles look a lot more expensive!  Not to mention a resin / glass tile can never compete with the natural beauty of terracotta, metal or slate.

A better comparison is with asphalt.  Frankly, I have a hard time believing that the cost of installing a solar roof is only twice that of asphalt… but even if it is true, what is the advantage of incorporating solar collection into the roof?  You might save some up front costs by combining the roof with solar collection but you lose the ability to scale or upgrade the panels.  And there is always the risk that Tesla disappears.  By contrast, if you install the solar panels separately then you can always expand the array or swap a few of your older panels out when the next generation of solar technology comes along.

Am I missing something?

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