Solar Shingles

What Are the Current Problems with Tesla’s Solar Roof?

Tesla’s brand positioning has been remarkable and the company has become a household name around the world. The Tesla solar roof was first announced in 2017, as an alternative to traditional solar panels.

Instead of installing photovoltaic modules on top of a roof, the solar cells become part of the roof – this concept is called building integrated photovoltaics or BIPV.

From a technical and aesthetic standpoint, the Tesla solar roof is an excellent product, covered by a 25-year warranty that ensures electricity production in the long run.

The Tesla solar roof also has a completely invisible design, where roof shingles with PV cells look identical to the shingles without them. This is a great design feature for homeowners who want to generate their own electricity, but don’t like the appearance of traditional solar panels.

Despite the product’s great features, bringing the solar tile roof to the mainstream market has been a challenge for Tesla. Manufacturing and installations have been unable to keep up with demand and challenging realities of what it takes to install a complex product like the solar tile roof. These realities mean you can expect a very, very long wait time.

Many homeowners have also reported major price hikes after their initial quote, even after a contract had already been signed.

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Rooftop Solar Panel System Cost per Watt: 5kW-7kW, 6kW-8kW

This is a good time to install a photovoltaic solar power system on your property. Residential rooftop PV solar panels cost per watt installed has been dropping and newer technology is enabling a far greater efficiency – that’s more solar energy converted into electricity for home usage – for less money.

A new asphalt shingle roof outfitted with PV solar panels

Your options for buying, leasing, Purchasing Power Agreements (PPA, see below) are expanding, and many homeowners are getting solar panels installed on their rooftops for zero down.

In this guide:

  1. Cost per Watt
  2. Total System Cost
  3. Cost Factors
  4. Rooftop Installation Considerations
  5. PV Solar Panels
  6. Buying, Leasing, and PPA Options
  7. BiPV Solar Tiles
  8. Thin-Film Solar Laminates
  9. PACE Solar Finance Program
  10. Solar System Payback Period

Cost per Watt

The national average residential solar cost per watt installed is $3.10 for a typical 5kW (approximately $15,500) to 7kW (approximately $21,700) PV solar panels system when installed by local installers, before the 26% solar investment tax credits from the federal government.

Did you know? The 26% solar tax credits have recently been extended by congress through the end of 2022. Notably, solar ITC apply to the full amount paid for the installation of a new solar panels system.

Depending on the state you live in, your quoted cost per watt can range from $2.78 to $3.40, on average, when installed by a (small) local solar panel installer, before the 30% federal tax rebate.

How Solar Pricing Has Decreased Over Time In 2008, the cost of a solar power installation was $8.82 per watt.

Average System Cost for residential PV Solar Panels installed by Local Installers:

Small Home Average Home Large Home
Home Size 1 – 2 bedrooms 3 – 4 bedrooms 5 bedrooms
System Size 5 – 7kW 7 – 8.5kW 9 – 10kW
System Cost $15,300 to $21,420 $21,420 to $26,010 $27,540 to $30,600
After Tax Credits $11,322 to $15,850 $15,850 to $19,247 $20,380 to $22,644

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BIPV Solar Shingles Cost: SunTegra, CertainTeed Appolo, Tesla Solar Roof

Your options for building integrated photovoltaic solar roofs have expanded with Suntegra, CertainTeed Appolo, and Luma Solar tiles to compete with other PV solar products currently being installed.

Certainteed Apollo-2 solar shingles roof

This guide covers the currently available and newly emerging BiPV / roof integrated PV (RiPV) solar shingle options, their costs, availability in specific markets within the US, and pros and cons of each option.

Cost

The table below includes the cost info and availability details for the top four leading RiPV competitors:

Product Cost per sq.ft. Cost per watt* 2,750 sq.ft. roof
CertainTeed Apollo II Shingle $17.25 – $22.00 $6.40 – $8.00 $47,230 – $60,500
CertainTeed Apollo II Tile $20.88 – $27.37 $7.65 – $10.00 $57,420 – $75,281
Dow PowerHouse II) (Discontinued due to bankruptcy) $15.00 – $20.00 Est. $6.15 $41,250 – $55,000
SunTegra Shingle $15.52 – $17.4 $5.70 – $6.40 $42,694 – $47,850
SunTegra Tile $16.80 – $21.30 $6.16 – $7.81 $46,200 – $58,575
Tesla Solar Tile $32.00 – $42.00 $11.77-$15.40 $88,000 – $115,500

Note: the above figures are baseline costs (estimated). The actual costs can in some cases be up to 25% higher, depending on the particulars of the jobs including more complex roofs and/or in areas with high cost of living, and in major coastal cities.

All costs include what is known as BOS, or balance of system, costs. These include the connectors, wiring and electrical inverter required for the installation. They do not factor storage battery costs ($7,500 – $12,500 for most systems).

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