In Mauritius, we are lucky to be bathed by the sun. So why not take advantage of this natural energy to generate electricity with photovoltaic panels? As to whether these panels are all beautiful, this is another debate.... Fortunately Tesla, the specialist of the electric car, found the solution: a solar roof composed of tiles producing electricity directly. This will bring an aesthetic and ecological added value to buildings and homes!
Tesla and SolarCity, a company specializing in solar energy, jointly announced a combined solar roof. The big reveal took place at Universal Studios Wisteria Lane, a street that was home to the set of the US television show Desperate Housewives!
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla unveiled four houses outfitted with Tesla’s solar roof shingles. Tesla has a few varieties, and they are designed to match common roof shingle or tile styles, such as terra cotta tiles, French slate, and so on. All roof tiles are actually made of textured glass. As Elon Musk explains: “It’s not a thing on the roof, it is the roof”
Elon Musk
Actually, the roof tiles are made of quartz. From most viewing angles, they look just like ordinary shingles, but in fact they allow light to pass through from above onto a standard flat solar cell. Panasonic produce the solar cells. A nice idea who will appeal to people wishing to adopt a lifestyle more respectful of the environment, while maintaining the beauty of their house.
According to the designers, these tiles can weather a lifetime of abuse from the elements. It can also be fitted with heating elements to melt snow in colder climates. The energy produced will be stored within a domestic battery, and then redistributed among the electrical appliances of the house.
The arrival of these solar tiles in the United States is very timely, where the roofing market is bursting out. According to Lyndon Rive, the big boss of SolarCity, five million roofs would be laid annually. The number of roofs equipped with photovoltaic panels would have risen from 30,000 in 2006 to one million today in the United States, according to the English daily The Guardian.
We look forward to such an initiative being developed in Mauritius!
