In this week’s Solar News Roundup, Tesla announces its newest version of the famed Solar Roof, and corporate renewable procurements reach a new record in 2019.
Tesla launches V3 of their Solar Roof
The latest development in the saga of the Tesla Solar Roof may be promising: just this week, Elon Musk announced the newest version of their solar roof tile product at a 40 percent discount compared to previous versions. Tesla’s website is advertising a Solar Roof installation at $33,950 before any tax credits, which they compare to an estimated $43,790 for solar panels and a premium roof installation.
There are a few important changes with the V3 Solar Roof to be aware of. Among them are larger tiles, a simpler manufacturing process, fewer parts, and an easier and faster installation process that, supposedly, will rival the time it takes to install a standard rooftop solar panel system. Additionally, Tesla has now expressed willingness to open installation jobs to outside contractors instead of its current network of only Tesla employees. This may have been part of the reason to reduce parts and simplify the installation process, prompting faster adoption of the Solar Roof (if it ever reaches full manufacturing levels.)
Corporate renewable energy procurement sets new record in 2019
According to a state of the market report on corporate renewables released by the Renewables Energy Buyers Alliance (REBA), 2019 has already been a record deal in terms of corporate renewable procurements. So far this year, corporate buyers have purchased over seven gigawatts (GW) of renewable capacity in the U.S. That’s almost 12 percent more than the entirety of 2018, and part of more than 22 GW of procurement since 2008.
REBA also reported that half of the buyers in 2019 were first-time renewable buyers. Of course, companies like Facebook and Google with a history of renewables purchasing also contributed significant volumes.
You can view a high-level snapshot of recent corporate renewable deals on REBA’s website.
