Everything You Need to Know about Tesla Solar in Virginia


What You Need to Know about Tesla Solar in Virginia

At this point, you have probably heard of Tesla. This tech and energy company has been booming with the introduction of a variety of products, beginning with their world-renowned electric cars, as well as other products that are related to the creations of the same company. Now with the introduction of solar panels, Tesla has expanded its services to homeowners across the country.

While Tesla is not available yet in many places in the country, Tesla will soon open a new location in the state of Virginia. Tesla is expanding and opening a new manufacturing warehouse in the Manchester area, in Richmond, Virginia. The plan is to provide new services to the city. According to city documents, the new location will be located at 300 Stockton St. in Manchester, Virginia.

What does this new 19,500 square foot warehouse mean for homeowners in Virginia? Well, there are many things that you need to know regarding this new warehouse, and also the type of services that Tesla Solar is going to be providing to residents of Virginia and its surrounding areas. Read on to learn everything you need to know about Tesla Solar in Virginia.

How Will Tesla Solar Affect Virginians?

With solar energy booming these recent years, it is no surprise that Tesla, one of the biggest tech companies in the world, was going to put its foot into the solar energy industry. Tesla Energy started with the introduction of the Powerwall Home Battery, which gave them exposure to the energy industry in general.

Since then, Tesla has become one of the biggest solar installers within the U.S, with more than 430,000 solar systems being provided to homeowners and businesses in the States. Some of the services it provides include:

This new location in Manchester, Virginia, will provide other options for solar for residents inside the state. With competitors around the area, Tesla hopes to become one of the leading distributors of solar energy in the country, especially in these times in which renewable energy is becoming more popular than ever.

With homeowners opting for renewable, cheaper options, the competition is becoming intense, not only in the solar energy industry if not also with wind energy, which is another major provider of electricity in the country. The goal is to increase the options for solar and to increase the percentage of renewable energy users in the country.

What Will Tesla Offer to Virginia Residents?

Solar panels, in general, are known to save homeowners more money, and they do not put out the traditional emissions of coal and gas into the atmosphere. With only 10 percent of the energy produced by the states coming from renewable sources, one of the stated goals of the company is to accelerate the usage and reduce the transmission of air pollutants.

  • Depending on a homeowner’s roof size and the size of their home, residents are able to buy solar panels at different prices.
  • The prices also depend on how much solar energy they want to provide to their homes.
  • The cost for solar panels can range anywhere from $6,068 to $24,272.

The largest panels that they have to offer range from 36 panels up to 48 panels, depending on the type of roof you have and whether or not your house qualifies for solar energy. For that, they need to do a sun study and make sure that your house receives enough solar light in order to be able to have them.

Besides solar panels, Tesla also offers Solar roofs, which work similarly to solar panels. However, instead of panels being installed onto a roof, they mimic the appearance of a traditional roof house. These tiles were released by Tesla in 2016, after their acquisition of SolarCity. They tend to be more expensive than other brands, but their quality is still unmatched.

How Long Does It Take to Install Solar Panels?

As mentioned before, there are a series of steps that need to be done during the installation process of your panels. If you want a Solar Roof, It can be especially beneficial if you have an older roof that needs replacement. Since the Solar Roof is a fully functioning roof, it is more cost-effective to purchase one when your previous roof needs replaced.

Before the installation starts, houses need to go through a sun study. The house will pass the sun study if:

  • It has a roof that qualifies for solar.
  • There are no trees or obstructions preventing adequate sunlight from getting to the roof.

Then the house receives the installation.

According to Tesla, the process of installation only takes one day, but it may take technicians a bit more time if there are large panels being installed on the roof. During this process, the house loses power for approximately two to three hours during installation. During the installation, the owner of the house, or someone older than 18, must be present in the house.

What Type of Energy Services Does Tesla Provide?

As mentioned before, there are a couple of services that Tesla Energy provides, with all of them becoming fully available to Virginia residents as soon as the warehouse opens to the public. The types of energy that Tesla Energy provides are the following:

  • Powerwall Battery
  • Solar Panels
  • Solar Roof Shingles

Each one of them is similar, but at the same time, they provide energy by using different technologies in each one of them, which will be explained in the coming sections.

Powerwall Battery

Since the introduction of Powerwall batteries, homeowners are able to store energy in their homes. These work especially well if you have solar panels, which allow homeowners to store energy during the day to supply your house throughout the night. As long as the solar panels store enough energy during the day, your house will have enough electricity to supply itself.

  • Due to its utility, it is best used alongside solar panels.
  • During the day, if solar panels capture more electricity than your house can use, then all of the excess energy is stored inside the Tesla Powerwall Energy.
  • The Powerwall system allows you to store the excess energy for future use instead of sending it back to the grid.

One thing to note is that homeowners with solar panels do not require Tesla products to function alongside the Powerwall battery. Tesla has done its best to make it compatible with a variety of brands. As long as everything is installed correctly, your house will be able to store energy and send it back to the grid if you wish to.

The ability to store energy also provides your home with electricity, even if the grid goes down. According to Tesla, the Powerball battery comes with a 10-year warranty. Tesla guarantees that the battery will be able to store energy during this period of time.

Solar Panels

For the creation of these panels, Tesla first partnered with Panasonic to manufacture them in the Tesla Gigafactory. That partnership has now ceased, and Tesla purchases its solar panels from a different company. Also, with the acquisition of SolarCity under Tesla’s umbrella, Solarcity provides homeowners with solar energy throughout the states.

Tesla solar panels provide homeowners with a more sustainable and effective solar energy being provided to your home. The sleek design of these solar panels adapts to your roof. These panels have no visible grids, which makes homeowners feel more comfortable with installing the panels onto their roofs.

Tesla offers solar panels for at different sizes, going from 4 kW to 16 kW. There are different sizes for these panels:

  • Small (12 panels at 4kW)
  • Medium (24 panels with 8kW)
  • Large (36 panels with 12 kW)
  • Extra-large panels (16kW)

In addition, Tesla solar panels offer consumers a 25-year performance guarantee.

Compared to many common solar brands, Tesla solar panels can be more affordable due to their price cuts. Tesla allows homeowners to photograph their meters instead of having a representative having to visit their houses to have their meters supervised.

But what makes these panels different from others? Their design and how they look on the roof. As mentioned before, these panels are totally black, with no grids on them. Although other brands offer the same, Tesla solar panels adapt perfectly to the shape and color of the roof, especially if the roof is black, which makes it more comfortable for homeowners.

Solar Roof Shingles

For many, the Tesla Solar Roof may still be a bit of a mystery, especially with their recent introduction to the solar energy industry. As mentioned previously, these roofs mimic the appearance of traditional slate and asphalt tiles.

When you have a Solar Roof installed, all of your previous roof shingles are completely removed from the house, and they are replaced with an array of solar and non-solar shingles. While they perform their core function of storing energy, they have a sleek design that is preferred over most other roof styles.

Tesla Solar Roofs provide the same protective functions as any other roof, with the only main difference being their storage of energy. However, compared to solar panels, these tend to be much more expensive. The goal of Tesla with the introduction of the Solar Roof was to eliminate the aesthetic concerns that many homeowners suffered from solar panels.

Besides the traditional-looking solar tiles, owners can also choose a variety of different designs to choose from. These roofing types include:

  • Smooth glass tile
  • Textured glass tile
  • Tuscan glass tile
  • Slate glass tile

Still, there is one major factor that makes this desirable product hard to get: its price. Recently, Tesla decided to go through a major change in the way in which it charged for this option of solar energy. Instead of paying $54,000, homeowners that wish to have a Solar Roof will most likely have to pay up to $70,000 just for the tiles. This does not include installation or the Powerwall and its setup.

Pros and Cons of Tesla Solar Panels

With the introduction of Tesla Energy to Manchester, Virginia, residents are now able to widen their options beyond the usual solar brands available in the state.

Tesla solar panels’ perfect compatibility with the Powerwall and the ability to provide Solar Roofing gives homeowners more options to shop around in what benefits them the most.

Pros

Going solar not only contributes to reducing your house carbon foot from the environment but also, but it can also save homeowners a lot more money than using other solar products.

  • Depending on the size of your system, you can expect your monthly electric bills to be reduced significantly from their previous prices.
  • If you buy a Tesla Powerwall battery and solar panels receive excess energy, then homeowners might be able to sell the excess of electricity to utility companies, with compensations that tend to be generous to the energy sellers.
  • When it comes to paying for this system, homeowners are able to buy the system or rent it, which is similar to being subscribed to streaming services such as Netflix.
  • They have a warranty of 25-years, and they are expected to function properly during that time, being much more durable than roofing tiles.

And one of the most important pros for homeowners that care about aesthetics is the fact that these panels offer a gridless design that easily adapts to traditional roof tiles.

Cons

Just like any other type of solar panel, there are some cons to take into consideration whenever consumers decide to buy Tesla solar panels.

A medium-sized or large-sized system of solar panels can occupy a lot of space on your roof. Although its design goes almost unnoticeable, it can still be an aesthetic issue for those who care about the looks of their roof, especially if their roof has a lighter color in their roof, which can make the solar panels noticeable.

Another preoccupation or drawback that most solar panels have is that they are expensive. They have a lot of benefits when it comes to reducing bill prices in the future, but the first installation plus the solar panels can cost thousands of dollars for homeowners.

And the most noticeable drawback that most people consider when buying a system of solar panels is the weather. It is true that solar panels are able to capture light even during cloudy days. However, they tend not to be as effective as compared to sunny days. Homeowners might notice smaller storage of energy during their night if they check their Powerwall battery.

Pros and Cons of Tesla Solar Roofing

Solar roofs have been revolutionary to the solar industry. They provide a more aesthetically pleasing view to the owners, especially since these tiles attempt to mimic traditional designs of tiles.

Still, there are some pros and cons that homeowners can take into consideration before thinking about buying this Tesla product.

Pros

Their design is one of the biggest pros that the system has to offer. There are a variety of different designs for homeowners to choose from when it comes to these tiles. As mentioned before, they are just like asphalt tiles, protecting your house while at the same time storing energy directly onto the battery.

Neighbors will not be able to notice the difference since Tesla solar shingles perfectly adapt like any other type of normal roofing.

These tiles are able to capture great quantities of light and are also expected to last from twenty to thirty years. Tesla solar tiles are made out of tempered glass, which is even more durable than traditional roofing in most houses in the States.

Cons

Unfortunately, and expectedly, the only way to have solar shingles on the roof is by replacing the whole roof, which can seem uncomfortable for many homeowners. This replacement can be costly since Tesla charges for the removal of the roof tiles and the installation of the solar tiles.

There are also only a limited amount of styles that you can choose from for solar tiles. There is limited availability for these, which can be disappointing for homeowners who like or prefer options that are not part of the types of tiles that Tesla offers.

Another major con is the price.

  • Solar roofing is not cheap whatsoever, with prices starting from $60,000 up to $70,000 just for the system.
  • According to EnergySage, the installation of solar tiles can cost more than $25,000 more than installing normal solar panels.
  • Another unfortunate con is the cost of their maintenance. Since these tiles are expected to last at least 20 years, replacing your roof due to damage to one of the tiles can be costly.

Also, due to the demand for Solar Roofs and the lack of their availability, homeowners can expect to wait some months before their tiles get installed onto their roof.

Conclusion

With the introduction to this new facility in Manchester, Virginia, homeowners will have more options to choose from when it comes to renewable energy. With the introduction of various solar energy systems such as Solar Roofs, residents will be more than welcome to choose what better works for them.

Solar Discounts:

Greg

The articles here on ThatTeslaChannel.com are created by Greg, a Tesla vehicle and Tesla solar expert with nearly half a decade of hands-on experience. The information on this site is fact-checked and tested in-person to ensure the best possible level of accuracy.

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