Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur, showed off solar roof tiles that eliminate the need for traditional panels and a longer-lasting home battery, which Tesla calls the Powerwall, aimed at realising his vision of selling a fossil fuel-free lifestyle to consumers.
‘This is sort of the integrated future. An electric car, a Powerwall and a solar roof. The key is it needs to be beautiful, affordable and seamlessly integrated,’ Musk said while showcasing the products on homes once used as the set for the US TV drama Desperate Housewives in Los Angeles.
Although unveiled as part of an event unashamedly aimed at illustrating the benefits of combining Tesla, which makes electric cars and batteries, with solar installer SolarCity, the idea of solar roof tiles that seamlessly integrates with battery storage and electric car use is a potentially exciting one.
Read more in the article ‘Tesla boss Elon Musk unveils solar roof tiles’ in The Guardian, 29 Oct 2016, which includes a short video of Elon Musk’s presentation.