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by kccqzy3 hours ago |
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upvoteby freetime23 hours ago|
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Yeah and I think that's fine - and as I mentioned below my own reasons for installing solar panels were not just financially motivated. But the economics are also hugely important. Most people don't buy $5,000 tables, and most people don't buy Tesla Solar Roofs - the article says they sold 3,000 total in the last decade. And I don't think Tesla wants to be in the bespoke roof business - they want to be selling to the masses (or at least a sizeable well-off segment of the masses).

It also doesn't help that they seemingly had issues scaling up - and even people who were willing to spend $100K on a Solar Roof faced long delays if they were available at all in their market. Tesla's image has also shifted in the last decade, and having a Tesla parked in your driveway with a powerwall and solar roof doesn't carry quite the same image that it once did - which is important when you are relying on emotions to drive sales.

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upvoteby mbreese1 hours ago|
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> the article says they sold 3,000 total in the last decade.

>It also doesn't help that they seemingly had issues scaling up

I think these two things were highly related. Same with the cost. They couldn’t figure out how to scale up, which kept prices high and volume low. Because of this, it really was a bespoke business. And while, it looks nice, that type of margin just is not going to provide the returns they promised investors.

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upvoteby brikym3 hours ago|
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But we're talking about a utility here. If someone just wants to own fashionable things there are better ways to do that.
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upvoteby akerl_3 hours ago|
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Not if the two things you want are "solar power for your home" and "for your roof to not be covered in obvious solar panels".

I have a Tesla solar roof. I bought it knowing there were cheaper options for equivalent solar power because I liked the aesthetics.

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upvoteby brikym2 hours ago|
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Does it actually make sense financially vs investing in something else?
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upvoteby DougN71 hours ago|
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No it doesn’t, but style never makes financial sense.
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upvoteby akerl_57 minutes ago|
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Not really, no.
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upvoteby Forgeties792 hours ago|
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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.

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upvoteby akerl_54 minutes ago|
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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.

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