Tesla's first solar cells are in operation - 30-year guarantee
Tesla has laid the first houses with its solar cells. They should make houses independent of the electricity network. Tesla provides a lifetime warranty.
Tesla has completely covered the first houses with its Solardach Tesla Solar Roof. Unlike conventional solar cells for house roofs, Tesla's solar cells differ visually from conventional roof tiles. The solar cells are therefore not in the eye and thus do not disturb the appearance of the house. The customer has the choice between four different surfaces: structured, smooth, Tuscany style and slate optics (the latter two available from 2018).
The first installations of Tesla's solar cells are on the houses of Tesla employees. In part, Tesla rewards his employees for their commitment, partly the whole of the testing with a selected user group Tesla has under control. It is, so to speak, "Erl-König-Häuser", if one chooses the comparison with the automobile industry. Tesla boss Elon Musk has also put his house with Tesla's latest product.
Tesla assumes the complete installation of the roof, including the removal of the old roof and the entire approval process. However, Tesla's solar cells do not differ from the usual solar cells for their intended use - they are used for generating electricity. The now installed cells, according to Musk, would already provide power. Customers will be able to store the current in the Powerwall power supplies offered by Tesla and then use them all day. This means that the customers are theoretically independent of the electricity network and self-sufficient.
Customers interested in experimenting can already pre-order the solar cells, also in Germany. 930 euros is the reservation fee. Similar to Model 3, the customers still have to wait for delivery.
Long warranty periods
Remarkable is the warranty period Tesla gives on its Tesla Solar Roof: lifetime! More specifically, Tesla guarantees the durability of its solar cells in their role as a roof tile for the entire life of the house on which they are installed. Tesla guarantees the functionality of the solar cells, ie the generation of electricity, for 30 years. But now comes the small print: the guarantees apply initially only for the USA, for the German market there is no concrete statement.