Saving the world one tile at a time

Unless you’ve been living under a cave for the last few years, you will have heard of Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla Motors, SolarCity and SpaceX. This South African born engineer, inventor and progressive thinker is on a quest to save mankind from itself through renewable energy, space exploration and by tackling whatever global issue he sets his mind on. Musk has often been compared to a real life Tony Stark.

Only days ago, he unveiled yet another revolutionary idea: a roof made entirely of solar panels, which would provide electricity to an entire home. The launch was held on the set for Desperate Housewives, at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, where one house was chosen as a prototype to demonstrate how the roof would appear. You may be wondering what these high-tech roofs look like. Well, each solar panel has been designed to appear indistinguishable from conventional roof shingles. Even more, the façade was created through an optical illusion, where the tiles appear opaque when seen from the ground, but transparent when facing the sun to allow energy to pass through. One small drawback to this effect is a 2% loss in efficiency compared to standard solar panels. Nonetheless, Mr. Musk stated that he will be investing over $3 million to maximize energy absorption.

During the launch, it was announced that the tiles will be released in four distinct styles – Tuscan, Slate, Textured and Smooth – a brilliant decision that will appeal to a wide range of consumers. These slick slates are made from tempered quartz glass, providing them with higher durability than standard asphalt and giving them a lifespan of at least 50 years, compared to 20. Musk also claims they will have the capacity to defrost themselves with specialized heating elements, similar to those in cars.

Despite how exciting this announcement has been for most of the world, some remain skeptical of their accessibility to middle class homes because, oddly enough, actual prices of producing and installing the tiles remains a mystery. Nonetheless, Musk stated that the cost will be lower than current roof and electricity expenses. Installments are scheduled to begin next summer in California, with two versions available. Purchasing this system will include a newly developed integrated home battery to serve as a back up, storing enough energy to power a four-bedroom house for a day.

There is no doubt that the potential low cost and practicality of these new solar panels are two of the main aspects making it attractive to homeowners. But, the most important and obvious reason to purchase them is that they use clean, sustainable energy. The use of fossil fuels is still a severe problem globally, and it is worth stressing we are all both the creators and victims of the repercussions they are having on the environment.