Tesla’s solar roof pricing is cheap enough to catch fire:

[Newpublius]

Hmm, rough math contends that you shell out $50K now (plus some additional money added to the national debt) so you can break even in about 25 years. No thanks. Do we know the lifespan of these roof tiles? How much more money would you make investing that $50K elsewhere over a quarter century? I think investing in big oil would be a wiser fiscal move. I'm totally for efficient solar, but this doesn't seem all that efficient when it takes so long just to recoup your initial investment.

Indeed,

"cost about $50,000 after federal tax credits and generate $64,000 in energy over 30 years"

The tax credit is a 30% tax credit.

So the system costs $71,428.57, the homeowner gets a $21,428.57 credit so that the homeowners out of pocket is $50,000.

Overall the system is expected to produce benefits of $64,000.00

As a society we are still spending, in total, $71,428.57 to produce $64,000.00 worth of electricity.

[rcfieldz]

Someone needs to make my car run on turds and warm my house with them.

[Crepitus]

Someone needs to make my car run on turds and warm my house with them.

Go collect cow chips. They will burn to heat your house or can be used to produce methane to run your car.

[Peter1469]

Hmm, rough math contends that you shell out $50K now (plus some additional money added to the national debt) so you can break even in about 25 years. No thanks. Do we know the lifespan of these roof tiles? How much more money would you make investing that $50K elsewhere over a quarter century? I think investing in big oil would be a wiser fiscal move. I'm totally for efficient solar, but this doesn't seem all that efficient when it takes so long just to recoup your initial investment.

Just like flat screen TVs. How much do they cost today?

Relax. Don't piss on the wheel of progress.

[Peter1469]

Luddites have not been able to stop progress in the past. I expect they will fail now and in the future.

[Newpublius]

Luddites have not been able to stop progress in the past. I expect they will fail now and in the future.

This isn't Luddism. Luddism would be if we produced electriciry on bicycles rigged to the grid and now, because of solar panels, spinners would be unemployed. We object on the basis that the installation, at least based on the facts presented in the OP, offers society a negative rate of return. We put more into it than we get out of it. The 'initial pricing' argument needs to take into account that solar isn't an infant industry by any stretch of the imagination. The pricing today reflects decades long advancea in solar Solar has truly gotten better and more cost effective just not nearly enough to be ubiquitous and widespread

[decedent]

As a society we are still spending, in total, $71,428.57 to produce $64,000.00 worth of electricity.

Electric costs over 30 years:

From the grid:       $39,675.60 (debit)
From Tesla's tiles:  $14,000 (credit)

Savings:             $53,675.60

Seems like a pretty good deal to me.

[Peter1469]

This isn't Luddism. Luddism would be if we produced electriciry on bicycles rigged to the grid and now, because of solar panels, spinners would be unemployed. We object on the basis that the installation, at least based on the facts presented in the OP, offers society a negative rate of return. We put more into it than we get out of it. The 'initial pricing' argument needs to take into account that solar isn't an infant industry by any stretch of the imagination. The pricing today reflects decades long advancea in solar Solar has truly gotten better and more cost effective just not nearly enough to be ubiquitous and widespread

Incorrect. Luddites are set in their day.

[Newpublius]

Interesting.

It would reduce my electrical bill by about half.

The tiles are definitely better looking than the current panels. The warranty is good but most warranties only count for the original owner. They're handling their own installation, which is also better for warranty matters.

I think solar is the way to go -- on a residential basis -- but there's a grid-tie issue. A lot of states have passed bills allowing customers who produce their own energy to sell it back to the utilities. That requires installing grid-tie solar, but the problem is that when the utility company has a black/brown-out, your solar system goes down too. Because, you can't be introducing electricity into the grid when workers are working on the lines.

What I (personally) would prefer is an off-grid system that produced my entire power needs.

The tiles are pricey, but they'll probably come down eventually. Comparison-wise, I think the panels are still a better production value for the dollar. And, they do all kinds of tricks -- lay flat in high winds, turn and "shake" to remove snow load. They're getting pretty spiff. It'll be interesting to watch these shingles.

Of course then what you need is a battery capable of powering your home and then the solar charges the battery because you have to even out when its not in. Of course that is even more expensive.

[Peter1469]

It won't be in the future.