In October of 2016, Tesla came out with prototypes of solar roof panels that were meant to revolutionize the way we think about producing energy for our homes. With four unique styles that mimicked regular roof panels but were essentially mini solar panels, Tesla's design should have skyrocketed. But it didn't. Let's dig in to find out why.
According to Elon Musk, there are several hundred Solar Roof homes in the process of installation, but only twelve that are actually up and running, connected to the grid. Tesla says the ongoing delays are due to the difficulties that exist in the industry. Testing poses a huge obstacle; "There's only so much accelerated life testing you can do on a roof, so before we can deploy it to houses, we need to make sure that they are going to last three decades or more." Engineers attest that making solar panels small is indeed a big challenge - both in keeping them inexpensive and making them durable. Watch the video to hear from one of the twelve homeowners who took the Solar Roof plunge.
