Of all the resources the continent of Africa is blessed with, solar energy remains the most underutilized. Yet, Africa has an abundance of sunlight, all-day, every-day throughout the year. If anything, if Africa were to harness its solar energy potential efficiently, the continent could be leading in green power generation and export some to the countries leaving in the colder parts of the world.
Tesla’s recently released solar roof tiles fit perfectly into what Africa needs to harness the immense amount of solar energy that is currently just going to waste. The Tesla solar roofing tiles not only affordable, but they are also beautiful; making a house look awesome from an aesthetics point of view and be economical in the long run.
Tesla CEO, Elon Musk, says the company is gearing up to produce solar roofs that not only look better than your conventional roofing materials but ones that also generate solar power efficiently. Their solar-integrated roofing tiles are also said to provide better insulation than your typical roofing tiles.
They comes in four styles: Smooth, Slate, Textured, and Tuscan
The Tesla solar tiles are made up of three composite parts:
Tempered glass: The glass are said to make the solar tiles extremely durable and impact resistant, they can even resist hail storm
Color louver film: Making the tiles blend in well with the roofing (not stand out, while at the same time
High-efficiency solar cells: The Tesla solar tiles have solar cells said to be highly efficient that they can produce a high amount of energy even on high-temperature
The solar tiles have been produced by Tesla in partnership with Solar City. They are expected to be installed within the Solar City starting next year.
The Tesla Powerwall 2
Tesla also has made a huge power bank, the Powerwall, which can store energy in batteries and be used throughout the house. They have now produced the second generation of the power bank, the Powerwall 2. With a capacity of 14kWh of storage and 7kWh of output; double the capacity of the Powerwall 1.
Tesla says the Powerwall 2 can power a four-bedroom house for a day, with the refrigerator running, and lights and sockets being used.
