Skip to main content

This incredible Tesla Solar Roof earns the owner $350 per month

This Tesla Solar Roof and Powerwall installation earns the homeowner $350 per month as part of a virtual power plant.

With this product, Tesla aims to offer a rooftop solar power option for new homes or homes that need a new roof soon.

If you need a new roof and want solar power, you can combine the two with sleek-looking solar tiles that serve as a roof and produce energy.

We have reported on some really cool Tesla Solar Roof installations over the years. It’s still a relatively new product that is expensive; therefore, it is often installed on bigger or more valuable homes – making for some impressive projects.

A few months ago, we reported on this massive 30 kW Tesla Solar Roof home – one of the biggest and most powerful solar roof installations we have seen to date.

Now we feature a new Tesla Solar Roof that is even more impressive, with over 60% more power.

The project was installed by Rising Sun Solar, one of Tesla’s main partners for solar roof and Powerwall installations in Hawaii.

It’s a massive 50 kW Tesla Solar Roof on the Big Island of Hawai‘i:

At 50 kW, this is venturing into the commercial solar scale. We can see here that Rising Sun Solar designed the system to squeeze in as many solar cells as possible.

In this picture, we can clearly differentiate between the regular tiles and the solar tiles. We can see that the firm managed to optimize the design where it looks like there could almost be more solar cells per section than with solar panels:

On top of the solar roof, the installation also includes six Tesla Powerwalls for a total of 81 kWh of energy storage.

Top comment by Joseph Brown

Liked by 24 people

As has been pointed out, the system will not pay itself back with just the VPP revenue; no surprise there. But there are some other things which can factor in & ought to be mentioned:

1} What was the previous cost of electricity for this home?

2} Does the homeowner drive pure electric, and what is the cost of those miles in equivalent ICE vehicles?

3} How often does the electric service here 'black out', and what is cost of damages from that?

I am sure there are other factors to consider, too -- like the amount of state & federal money was available to offset the costs

View all comments

Joti Mangat, Rising Sun Solar’s chief revenue officer, noted that the homeowner is using their new system as part of a virtual power plant that is earning them $350 per month:

Fun fact, the Swell Energy Home Battery Rewards VPP in partnership with Hawaiian Electric will earn this customer approx $350 per month in grid revenue, every month, for the next five years.

Swell Energy has launched several large-scale virtual power plants all over the US, with many of them primarily using Tesla Powerwalls.

In over five years, it will generate $21,000 for the homeowner. Of course, the entire Tesla Solar Roof and Powerwall installation likely costs 10 times that, but it still makes a significant difference, especially when you consider that on top of getting money back from the grid, they are not paying for electricity anymore. Complete independence. They own their own power plant.

Now is a great time to begin your solar journey so your system is installed in time for those sunny spring days. If you want to make sure you’re finding a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage. EnergySage is a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar – whether you’re a homeowner or renter. They have hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20 to 30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and you share your phone number with them.

Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Stay up to date with the latest content by subscribing to Electrek on Google News. You’re reading Electrek— experts who break news about Tesla, electric vehicles, and green energy, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow Electrek on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our YouTube channel for the latest reviews.

Comments

Author

Avatar for Fred Lambert Fred Lambert

Fred is the Editor in Chief and Main Writer at Electrek.

You can send tips on Twitter (DMs open) or via email: fred@9to5mac.com

Through Zalkon.com, you can check out Fred’s portfolio and get monthly green stock investment ideas.