But I guess my first question is why you want solar panels at all then? For most people it’s about saving money long term first, then maybe energy independence (especially in emergencies) if possible, then just wanting to go green. If it’s aesthetics, you can do a cool roof without solar I assume.
What drove you to get solar panels ultimately and why did you go Tesla? Genuinely curious.
I have a feeling you’ll say something i hadn’t considered.
No, you're pretty spot on. It was the overlap of a couple of factors:
1. I wanted solar & batteries as a buffer for grid outages
2. I wanted to be able to offset some of my energy usage with solar
3. I wanted my roof to look nice, and personally I think solar panels strapped onto a roof don't look very appealing.
4. At the time, Tesla was one of the few names in town for an integrated solar roof.
Saving money wasn't really part of the calculus, which worked out because as the article and parallel comments note, getting a Tesla solar roof is a pretty bad decision if one of your primary factors is cost or saving money on your electric bill.
I mean, if your goal is to absolutely maximize the number in your bank account, no. But then there are other things you could be doing too -- you can do the math and cover all your nutritional needs for under $1 a day, by eating mostly potatoes. But most people prefer to spend 20x that much and have food that tastes decent. And a handful of people will spend 30-40x that to have really nice food.
If you think about money as a tool to maximize your "joy", then whether the Solar Roof is worth it completely depends on your preferences and your financial situation. Most people are fine with black panels; but if you have the money and like the look of the tiles, why not?
I don't get it. If it's cheaper to have a nice traditional slate/cedar roof and just buy my electricity from the grid then why would I want solar tiles? Just to tell my friends how I'm saving the planet? It's not like solar tiles have a monopoly on electricity or nice roofing materials.
Solar Roofs can still pay for themselves, it's just a much longer pay back period than with commodity panels. So I guess the Solar Roof strikes a balance between economic benefit and design that makes sense for some people.
> Just to tell my friends how I'm saving the planet?
This is a really uncharitable framing that I often see repeated that wealthy people are only motivated by how other people perceive them. And sure, that probably plays a part for some people. But maybe they just feel good about saving on their electricity bill in the long term and reducing their carbon foot print - even if it's not the most economical or environmentally friendly option available?
It's possible the math works out differently for people whose roof already needs to be replaced, or for people whose roof can be nearly totally covered with generating tiles.
In my case, it's been a while since I crunched the numbers but the pay back period is effectively infinite, assuming that had I not bought the roof I'd invested the money instead. This is especially true as temperatures continue to swing more and more widely (winters that push below the efficient window for my heat pumps are murderous on my banked solar energy) and more states and electric companies switch from net metering to newer rate plans.
