The Real Reason Tesla Solar Has Failed

[@dontbanmebrodontbanme5403]

I was one of those people who was under contract for Tesla solar tiles when they jacked up the price 2 weeks before construction was to start. It is a simple A frame roof, we needed a new roof, so the timing was perfect and it was structurally sound. When I asked what was the reason for the increase after we already agreed to a price, the lady rudely said, "Look, this is the new price. Do you want to go ahead with the project or not?" I chose "not"!

[@patelk464]

Tesla customer service take their cue from Musk's ego.

[@DK-vx5co]

@@patelk464 "Your know what?, F-you. F-you if you think I can't do what I want. F-you!" -Signed, Elon Musk, F-you!

[@SamHarrisonMusic]

Good for you! Sounds like a lot of B.S. - clearly this company aren't out for combating climate change, when their CEO just got a climate change denier elected president. Better to steer clear.

[@tinygod81]

No, there is 0 chance that she said that. Just stop man. There is also like a 83% chance that you did not order and or plan to pay for a Solar roof, lol.

[@Homecastlefoundation]

There never was a solar roof.

[@Hurricane1668]

3,000 installs and 6,000 cancelations is all you need to know.

[@Sakosaga]

Yup, all I thought was they needed to assess the work better and if you were quoted 12k then all of a sudden it's 20k+, no one wants that shit. They'll get normal solar and call it a day.

[@DrewYoung-h5j]

I just hung up on them when they raised a quote 40 percent with an attitude. Never seen chaos like than as installer myself. I chose not to respond in kind back.

[@pete_lind]

2018 Elon had to admit in court that his solar roof was a scam . Not even his idea , it from NASA from 1970s , and today there are real roofing manufacturers that do it better , solar panel is on larger sheet metal roofing .

[@Suburp212]

The tiles are too expensive, and just super inconvenient. Normal solar cells cost 75% less.

[@malgron]

did they actually make the roof panel solor cells .. or are they just selling traditional solar panel at a higher price than others in the market?

[@criticalevent]

The tiles were a stupid idea, that's how you know it was Elon's.

[@thiagobarbosa7905]

But they are built in America!! With new tariffs, you will pay 100% for everything anyway. Enjoy.

[@chefgav1]

90% here in Australia

[@skierpage]

​@@malgron as the video explains, Tesla + Panasonic was going to make the solar cells as well as the roofing tiles in which they're mounted. That fell apart, and it's unclear if Tesla is still manufacturing tiles.

[@lanszoominternet]

I approached Tesla about a combination solar panel + battery backup to act as a power source during our frequent electricity outages. I sent them lots of info about my home’s electrical system. They sent me a price for a system. It was very reasonable compared to a propane powered generator. Then the confusion began. They could not mount the panels on the existing house roof. They proposed our barn roof, but because it was not standing seam metal they couldn’t mount on that either. They don’t do ground mount. After 6 months of going around, it was finally concluded that they could not provide what I wanted. I finally decided to just go with a local company with whole house solar and a ground mount. It works great!

[@bryanwhitton1784]

Yeah, as I talked about earlier, they were newbies and couldn't or wouldn't figure out how to do anything but comp roofs. They try to compete on price but then they have to limit what they will do. Ultimately manufacturers learn what roofing manufacturers learned a long time ago. Be a supplier and support and train installers on your product and let them handle their part.

[@w3072]

I wanted a Tesla roof but $100 grand slowed me down

[@davidbeppler3032]

When they put a tariff on solar panels from China $150k is the starting price for Americans.

[@codycast]

@@davidbeppler3032good. Put tariffs on the Chinese panels. They’re flooding the market with their cheap crap.

[@FlyWithTyy]

@@davidbeppler3032tariffs bring the manufacturers to the US or they pay a tax. Good thing, not bad. By doing this it makes it cheaper for Americans over time and decreases our countries mind boggling debt.

[@simonpaine2347]

​@@FlyWithTyyThe problem with Tarrifs is that there will always be more US companies and people that suffer than benefit. For instance if the US puts Tarrifs on Chinese solar panels, then Chinese companies suffer, so China will retaliate by putting Tarrifs on US products, they normally put tarrifs on stuff that they can produce themselves or can get elsewhere, like US farm products. Therefore the US has no access to cheap solar panels and farmers are cut out of some of their best markets. Meaning that farmers will demand subsidies and then move to charge more for their products in the US. Meanwhile US companies setup solar panel companies that initially make inferior products at way higher prices, because of our relative high wage costs. Please explain how this is going to be good for anyone or how I'm wrong.

[@simonpaine2347]

​@@codycastMy cheap crap has eliminated my electricity bill for the last year and they have a 25 year guarantee backed by a US company. What's not to love?

[@douglaswatt1582]

You're completely missing the elephant in the room. Tesla's dismal service record, dismal customer service, dismal call interface and communication, and endless nonsense around getting a system installed for the original price. People are willing to put up with only so much and then they simply move on to somebody who's more responsible and who can be trusted to do what they say and say what they do. Tesla Energy appears to take its que from Elon, emphasizing grandiosity, disorganization, and unreliability.

[@diyEVguy]

As a very patient owner of two Tesla Solar Roofs: Correct, spot on!

[@DrewYoung-h5j]

I could not get past go with them. I never got a sane estimate in a timely manner. If they can not even quote, imagine using them.

[@soundnutz]

I feel the same thing about buying tesla ev price fluctuations horrible customer service inconsistent pricing prevents alot of people from buying directly from tesla when used tesla has fixed price no fluctuations...this is result of the way tesla selling its products very inconsistent unless you're in California Texas ..but service slowly getting better 😅

[@pilotalan]

True. I went with a highly-rated locally-owned company. Everything I saw from Tesla Solar customers was that it was great if everything went smoothly. But if there were any hiccups, or need for service after the sale, it was a nightmare. I paid about 8% more for a company with raving customers and a 4.8 star Google rating.

[@mostlyguesses8385]

Que? Or is it cue? Que?

[@andrewbest5854]

Thank you for explaining what happened to Giga Buffalo. It seems like this is the forgotten step-child of the Tesla Giga family.

[@benjaminmeusburger4254]

5:05 "bold prediction" No. it wa a lie. He invited hundreds of people and claims that all houses around them are covered in the new product that did not exsit. That is a lie.

[@gumpyoldbugger6944]

What do you expect, Musk is nothing more than a conman and vapourware salesman. Anyone gotten that new Telsa Roadster they preordered years ago yet?

[@meatsaucez1516]

it’s not that bad. You’re allowed to present mock products as you envision it as long as you have a reasonable belief that it will be completed by the time it’s released. Apple does it all the time. Literally everyone in the tech industry does it all the time.

[@jagpilotohio]

Yep. He lies and grossly exaggerates constantly. The simps don’t seem to care.

[@kingiam9271]

​@@meatsaucez1516so it's ok to lie as long as you believe the lie? Interesting

[@zagreus5773]

@@meatsaucez1516 No, the claim was that this product already existed when it didn't. That's simply a lie. You can claim your product WILL have this and that spec and then in the end it hasn't, that's different from saying this product already exists and already has this and that spec. That's what Elon did. And even if you were true, just because others get away with it does not excuse the one that got caught, don't you think? Imagine using this at court: "Sure, I murdered this guy and got caught, but there are people that got away with murder, because they didn't get caught. Ergo, you cannot convict me or even blame me. It's just part of doing business in my field of work."

[@cooluser23]

Tesla Solar was just a bailout for a relative. - funded by Tesla investors against their will.

[@MultiPetercool]

Amen!

[@kingiam9271]

Lmao facts

[@CASTSTONE]

It's much more sinister than that. Musk actually made money off the purchase, and the solar roof thing helped him represent Tesla as a tech company rather than a car company which it sucked at being. That's how he jacked up the stock prices. Solar roof was never meant to succeed.

[@shepistired]

tesla investors aren't innocent, they support Elon, this is their will, they are just stupid

[@1620rx]

Not true. I supported it.

[@davidcardinal9900]

I had one of the Tesla roof contract. It went from $74k to $160k, and you got bumped off the waiting list and on the new list in order of acceptance of new priced. They would not answer any emails or take any calls. It was really bad form. I think they just wanted to boost numbers to investors, stock $ or to get tax $ from states.

[@madstork91]

The truth is that you only need a 6kwh solar system with 2 VAWTs that produce a net 600wh at an average of 12hrs a day and a 5kwh-8kwh batteries. (10-12 if you want to be off grid) Solar today is about 350w-380w per panel, which means you need about 18 panels. You can get VAWTs that produce way more than that today. Batteries today are about $1k-1.2k per kwh. Right now you can get about 30 panels for $2.8k-$3k. You can get the VAWTs for about $800-$1600. $1.2k x 12 = $14.4k. About 6k for misc equipment (Micro inverters, systems, wiring). This totals at $18k for a full system. Installation might be $10k, for a total at $28k. But... as someone who has paid for solar and installation, they try to charge you 65k. This is the problem. Oh... and state, municipal, and HOA rules basically banning all of this...

[@cadtools]

My 25KW system produces less than half my annual power needs, so your numbers are a little off.

[@uramalakia]

Your math is somewhat off.

[@VarroTigurius-u1f]

"they try to charge you 65k. This is the problem." You nailed it right here on the head. I've priced everything out and came to the same conclusion... 18K in mats/equipment and I'm willing to pay 2-5k for the install and labor but they wont do it for that cheap.. they want to get 2-3x the mat cost in labor as profit. Top it off with local governments putting rules in place to make it near impossible to do this on my own in piece/part at a time. I have to have a permit to install the equipment meaning I need an licensed architect to sign off on a plan and then request the city to double check everything.. Insane.

[@bryanwhitton1784]

@@VarroTigurius-u1f Oh gee, an electrician makes $100+hr. Your installers make $25/hr then you have a truck, insurance, fuel. The Workman's Comp insurance and misc overhead and that's works out to about $5K minimum. But you were so gracious to offer the contractor work for no margin. Yeah, I'm sure he jumped at that. Do it yourself. BTW, you don't need an architect to do the design. You may need a contractor's license and/or an electrician's license but for your own home almost never unless there is something odd about your design. When I had my installation company we had many folks want to procure their own equipment and then have us install it. We never took them up on it either. They thought that they could go directly to the manufacturer or distributor and get wholesale prices and then hire us at their perceived prices to save money. They got the same answer I gave you, install it yourself if you think it is so easy. I and my crew invested decades of time and training to be able to install them so they work and they are safe. You don't seem to value that. That is fine, do it yourself or find some day laborer at Home Depot and get them to help.

[@VarroTigurius-u1f]

@@bryanwhitton1784 So I got a quote for 12 hours of labor to install a 14kw system in my home. Just the labor and permits. I have to supply all the materials and they wanted wait for it.. $18k. That's $1500 per hour of work. At your quoted rate that's paying for 15 electricians for 12 hours. I saw them install everything on my neighbors house with just 4 guys. So I think my offer of $5k for for 4 guys to do 12 hours of work was ok. Now to your second part. In the state of Louisiana and in my parish in particular you have to have a permit to do any work other than painting and basic repairs. The application for the permit includes the price of the work and signed and stamped detailed plans of all the work to be accomplished by either a licensed architect or civil engineer. So take your attitude and shove it. I did my research and I am constantly looking to try and get solar power installed because my shitty power company cant keep the power on during any half ass rain storm.

[@Defiler0x]

I worked at tesla as a solar installer in Portland OR for a year, there were so many customer complaints, delays backlog, panel problems etc.. it was labor intensive, hazardous work. It makes a lot of sense what Tesla is doing to try and get away from it.. it just doesn't make economical sense

[@yvanpajevic9680]

Yeah but they were supposed to find a way to make it easy and profitable. They failed. This is a loss and it sucks. Nothing's perfect, not even Tesla.

[@Defiler0x]

@yvanpajevic9680 agreed, I was disappointed going in as a new hire at Tesla thinking this was going to be a booming industry / segment. Some things just don't work out but it seems it didn't cause too much damage to their plans as their commercial energy is doing well

[@Billy97ify]

It is just a stupid idea to make solar shingles that require so many electrical connections. Expensive and pretty well impossible to troublshoot or repair.

[@jamesross160]

​@JasonStewart-d8t solar is booming, just not tesla. The infrastructure act has made most commercial solar prevailing wage. I've grossed 100k the last 2 years as an apprentice. 130 with per diem.

[@jamesross160]

​@@Billy97ifyI'd never put a fire hazard on my room. Or put unnecessary holes in my roof for water to leak through.

[@larzlarz1140]

The solar roof is a tiny fraction of Tesla’s solar business because of the price. I have a conventional 36 panel Tesla solar system and it was the cheapest bid out of 6 bids and it works great, making 22,000 kWh per year for the last 2 years.

[@alphaclam]

The internet says a 36 panel Tesla roof costs $100k. The average electricity payment in California is $200 a month. Even if we subtract $10,000 that would have gone to maintenance on a new conventional roof, that means it would take you 37 years to break even on this investment. That's not considering the possibility they don't last that long, continue producing energy at the same levels, or the maintenance expenses that would take. We also need to consider opportunity costs. An unknown would be advancements in technology over 4 decades, which you may lock yourself out of, and most importantly, you'd almost certainly be wealthier if you took 100k and invested it over 40 years.

[@kingiam9271]

Hard to believe it was the cheaper option

[@larzlarz1140]

@@kingiam9271 it was $33,500. After federal tax rebate, it was $23,500. SunRun wanted $56,000 for the same sized system, which would be $39,000 after tax rebate.

[@OveToranger]

@@larzlarz1140 That was quite the difference - thanks for supplying the actual numbers ! $16.000 difference is freakin' wild !

[@Martinit0]

@@kingiam9271 There are many reports of Tesla (conventional) solar PV being the cheapest option. That makes sense since Musk wants to be the mass manufacturer at affordable price. He doesn't want to be low volume boutique. Solar roof (the shingles) doesn't fit into this scheme and it seems cost reduction efforts were not successful.

[@cryptickcryptick2241]

Interesting. The critics were right this time. Tesla solar roofs were not profitable. That was apparent to many people when the price initially came out, but we were waiting to see what would happen once production scaled up, because many times costs come down. However, California has exceptionally high electrical rates, and exceptionally high amounts of sunshine. The numbers may have worked for Elon, when he input California numbers, but when Alabama, Kansas or Michigan numbers were used they did not do so well. Curiously, Eon did prove out the technology, but solar panel costs have been falling quickly for 15 years. As noted Eon failed to appreciate the complexity of roof construction, every time you add an angle dormer or different level you add leaks to the roof as well as shading (and 100 plus years emphasis to plant large shade trees to naturally cool roofs.

[@georgesamaras2922]

Optimal roofs needs to look like a cybertruck. ie a right triangle. The high wall must be the northern wall. Of course i have no idea about snow. It may look shit from a traditional perspective. Also not much of a storage space

[@philmarsh7723]

I think that solar shingles would suffer more from high temperatures because you don't have a backside air gap to cool the shingle.

[@TheHypnotstCollector]

in 2020 we Needed a new roof. We got estimates like $60K for a 28 gauge metal roof! When someone even bothered to give an estimate. Tesla sold us a glass solar roof, 2 power walls, and approx 6000watts of solar. For $60K! Enough to take care of all our electrical needs. Our roof is just a simple 25'x100', "Velvetta Cheese Box" home. In 2022 we bought a T3. We can charge the car in the summer use PG&E other times. So basically we don't have complaints. Posted a couple of videos showing the work.

[@mikem201]

hailstorms?

[@SamHarrisonMusic]

Is your username a Bob Dylan reference?

[@TheHypnotstCollector]

@@SamHarrisonMusic well, I'd like to say I gave Bob the idea but that would be a lie. A girl friend named me The Mind Invader. And I did participate in hypnosis experiments at Stanford c. 1969 and they couldn't ..... So I see all things clearly.

[@SamHarrisonMusic]

@@TheHypnotstCollector Fascinating! :) Is there somewhere I could read about those experiments? Sounds like quite a story. The Bob Dylan Line is 'She wears an Egyptian ring/it sparkles before she speaks/She's a hypnotist collector/you are a walking antique'. Never heard the phrase anywhere else, so interesting to hear what it means to you :)

[@TheHypnotstCollector]

@@SamHarrisonMusic well.the Stanford hypnosis experiments were c. 1970 and the main hypnotst .... a nice guy around 30-32 died in a canoe accident in c. 1976 after a rain in Sanfrancisquito Ck. A hypnotstcollector is someone that sees all things clearly and tunes up the deceivers and puts 'em his pocket.

[@HaydonRyan]

Cost is the biggest issue. I was quoted $200k roughly for a solar roof. As you mentioned Asian panels are cheap. The same solar system in Australia would cost about 5x-10x less. The logic of start expensive and go down doesn’t work so well in an industry most Americans see as optional. In Texas, thr payback on a system like this is 100 years. No way worth it. Now if they put focus into solar, (Elon did say it was one of his life goals) subsidies solar installs, make the cheap and worthwhile, while increasing output, then people would buy them.

[@zurielsss]

Chinese Solar panels are already dirt cheap, no way Tesla can subsidise enough to compete in costs and installation.

[@Ou8y2k2]

Why? Just buy then propagandize Twitter in order to buy Trump to remove regulations, punish his competition, and raise stock price so he can be 'worth' $350 billion.

[@RichMiniön-r2m]

the irony is that the United States is still being affected by slave labour in 2024...

[@wensiangfong]

Yeah, people don't know how cheap is China solar....

[@DerGraueGeist]

A good quality 10 kW system in Australia, which generates ~ 40 kWh per day on average over the year, will cost less than USD$10k installed, even ignoring the government subsidy. This includes the inverter and the installation. The panels themselves are no more than $5k USD for good quality reputable brands like Jinko. At $0.30/ kWh or more it's not hard to earn your money back in 4 - 5 years if you use a reasonable amount of energy during the day. As a result nearly 35% of homes in Australia have solar panels on them as of 2024.

[@andersonklein3587]

Producing renewable energy in the 1970s and 1980s was really hard. But since the 2000s-2010s it became trivial to produce energy, the problem is not deploying more solar panels, the problem is that each solar panel deployed furthers the duck curve that is wrecking grids. Batteries are definitely the business to be in right now, they are desperately needed and a much much bigger market, the cost for storage will continue to be many times over the cost of production in even the rosiest of outlooks.

[@johnpienta4200]

It turns out like most things Elon tries to reinvent, they did not need to be reinvented. Shingles and traditional roofing works just fine. Then you just put panels on them. That works fine too. There's no need to make every shingle a panel. If one is broken, damaged, stop functioning, you have to replace the whole roof. Absolutely ridiculous.

[@bigdreams5554]

Common sense is not so common, unfortunately

[@corley-ai]

Rockets needed to be reinvented. The electric car needed to be reinvented. Self driving needed to be invented. Payapl was invented. The Boring company was invented. Neurolink was invented. How does that compare with your inventions?

[@sypherthe297th2]

​@@corley-ai Oh look. . . A Muskbot. Musk is a money man and a hype man. Nothing more. Oh well. President Musk annoys the hell out of citizen Trump. Seeing those two nimrods go at it will be amusing as two egos that large can't coexist in close proximity.

[@dzerres]

The problem from a consumer point of view is this: Tesla doesn't partner with installers. I tried twice for two different homes to get Tesla solar panels and each time after submitting the request via their webpage there was ZERO follow-up. One other problem I found was that because one home was off-grid Tesla DOES NOT do solar or Powerwall without a commercial power connection. That's just dumb. The power roof is way, way, way too expensive as well. Musk said that the Tesla Roof would be equal to building a brand new roof in new construction or the combination of replacing an existing old roof with new shingles plus panels. That simply was not true.

[@bersig]

The single biggest problem for companies that produce solar panels is the extreme low price of panels produced in China. The Chinese government subsidizes the industry to the point that nobody else can compete. Chinese companies thus currently have a monopoly on solar panel production. Solar companies - Tesla included - can either buy the Chinese panels or sell systems for twice as much (or more) as their competitors.

[@KC-io2rg]

I don't get it. If China had been subsidizing solar for the past 20 years wouldn't that have bankrupt the country? Perhaps what people meant is initial funding and subsidy? TMSC (also many other high tech firms) was initially funded and subsidized by the Taiwanese government and now it is making money hand over fist for Taiwan (at the expense of Intel).

[@danielbecker4365]

If subsidizing is such good business why doesn't our government subsidize everything?

[@robert5]

@@danielbecker4365 Tariffs are coming on everything china makes. Buy your panels NOW if you can afford to. if not you might have to pay much more soon.

[@bersig]

@@danielbecker4365 Because the government doesn't have any money that it didn't take from someone else. To get the cash to subsidize the industry here then US gov would have to raise taxes. Contrary to popular opinion, money does not flow from a printing press. In fact, running the presses without creating actual value to back it just creates inflation, aka another form of taxation. (And an evil, insidious one at that.)

[@WhatWillYouFind]

Elon also bows down to Xi as required by his Mega factory in china....... Thats part of it too

[@dosmastrify]

You're missing something here I remember reading somewhere that Solar City was insolvent and Tesla save them

[@GeoFry3]

As soon as you have to rely on local contractors, you are screwed. Getting an affordable, consistent, quality product out of general contractors is pretty much impossible.

[@codycast]

Exactly.

[@hailene6093]

One of the primary reasons Chinese solar panels are so cheap are due to Chinese industrial policy. Basically the government is subsidizing their manufacturing sector far beyond what every other country does. It creates a massive oversupply of goods that their domestic market can't absorb. It can't absorb it because the subsidies are effectively transfers from the household sector to the industrial sector. In addition the subsidies create more supply, so it's a double-headed issue where the Chinese households are impoverished while supply is engorged. China is trying to export the problem away, but this, as the video touches on, can damage foreign manufacturers. Recently both developed and developing countries have been stepping up tariffs towards Chinese goods in order to protect their own companies.

[@JBoy340a]

You have to wonder if Elon will have the last laugh on this since he can control which goods from China pay tariffs and how big those tariffs are. And he seems like someone who will be vindictive.

[@hailene6093]

@@JBoy340a Knowing him, he's going to miss some obvious but critical detail and screw himself in the end.

[@JBoy340a]

@@hailene6093 hard to argue that he has missed anything critical when he is the richest person in the world.

[@hailene6093]

@@JBoy340a How about not being a garbage human being? That seems pretty critical to me.

[@mefobills279]

China is not transferring wealth to support solar. They use industrial capitalism and have approx 40% more efficiency in their supply chain and industry. Finance capitalist west has rents, rake offs and usury. China has industrial policy to create solar panels for energy security. Electric cars, high voltage transmission lines, and battery storage are all industrial policy, and require an integrated supply chain.

[@juliewow4504]

TSLA should only do the low hanging fruit. New construction where ALL the needs are met in construction. They should be also building solar fields. Preferably next to MegaPack installations. Why they are not running hard to develop designed solar/charging/megapacks/travel centers. Imagine a 100 acres of sustainable development. This would be a huge profit center.

[@ElectricIguana]

Right. Maybe even residential solar fields and solar siding where it makes sense.

[@JedPotts-jv2ux]

the only way "tesla homes" will happen is if someone suggests to Elon "hey you can get paid to build houses on earth and use that as practice to develop technologies for constructing buildings on mars". solar's biggest challenge at the moment is the fact that in australia they've hit the limit of how much solar you can have in a grid before it starts to cause issues, power prices go negative during peak solar times, and it makes electricity more expensive during peak useage times when the sun isn't shining (dawn and dusk) because those power sources have to charge more in order to cover their operating costs and the daily cycling between high power and low power (running a plant at 100% is far cheaper than having to turn it off and on all the time). if australia doesn't solve that problem quickly, the rest of the world will take the hint that there is a limit to how much solar power a country can effectively use.

[@juliewow4504]

@@JedPotts-jv2ux well on planet Australia I can see that conundrum is a roadblock. That can only be solved with batteries. But here on planet earth where Australia may have opportunities to find a new additional path, the rest of the planet ain’t living that nightmare. Crawl out of your fear corner and actually see the possibilities. But I will be the one when all the developed world is on sustainable energy and somehow Africa seems to have missed out.

[@JedPotts-jv2ux]

@@juliewow4504 letting people charge their EVs at work would solve the "excess solar during the day" problem, and would enable solar to be the driving force behind the doubling of grid output neccesary for widespread adoption of EVs. V2G would enable those batteries on wheels to store gigawatt hours of electricity to support the grid when the sun isn't shining. but noo, lets "double up" on batteries, because everyone with other ideas is "in a fear corner". the tech is great, unfortunately the governments handling the transition don't understand the tech, or electricity, or grid demand, which is why we STILL don't have EV charging at every workplace even though thats where EVs are parked while the sun is shining. the greatest threat to the renewables transition is that its supporters are so blinded by their own arrogance that they can't be told when there is a better way, and they just can't help but talk down to people. if you disagree with them in any way, they assume you're stupid, and it makes them absolutely insufferable. the ultimate irony is that nuclear was killed by the same thing, the tech was fine, the problem was that it was rolled out by a bunch of arrogant fuckwits who had no idea what they were doing, and it led to disaster because they did it wrong, and the entire world turned against them.

[@matthewhuszarik4173]

There is almost no money in solar power. When solar power peaks in California there is such a glut the price actually goes negative. California has to pay Arizona to take its excess power.

[@Conrad-qv9fh]

It's difficult to compete with Chinese mass production. Margins drop when the products are mass produced. Also, solar is cheap where in some areas where there isn't much red tape stopping people putting them up. Costs increases drastically with more stringent building regulations and bylaws. It's relatively easy to install standard solar panels. The main cost of going "off grid" is more related to the cost of batteries to get through the night. It's not important anymore that solar panels face towards the sun in the middle of the day. It's often better to have a set of panels aimed more at the morning sun and a set facing more towards the afternoon sun at little extra cost. More people will go "off grid" as battery costs drop, which explains why Tesla places more emphasis on batteries at present.

[@lookoutforchris]

The Chinese have massively overbuilt their solar production capacity with government money and now they’re dumping product at bellow cost on the rest of the world just to maintain employment and social order.

[@danielbecker4365]

What? The US market is too small?

[@frankinga3120]

Very well presented and well balanced.

[@matthewconnor5483]

Think alot of the issue is scale of the projects. For example something like covering a commercial building or parking lot in solar has a smaller percentage of the cost going to permits, etc... then a project on a house.

[@George2647g]

Great reporting and research! I've been very curious about what happened with Solar when Elon always touted it as being a vital part of Tesla...

[@DanFrederiksen]

Some kind of tile is a pretty decent idea but it has to be very cost effective. It can't just be 10x more expensive than off the shelf panels. And panels have gotten super inexpensive. If the price and availability is right then presumably it should be a sweeping success, every new house would have it. And glass tiles with cells glued on it can't be that expensive to make. Indeed they might compete with normal roof materials. I think they missed the boat on cost optimization. Some Tesla products are premium for no particular reason. Powerwall 3 is 13.5kWh for 10k$ without installation. It includes a solar inverter and grid tie but still, the 13.5kWh batteries cost maybe 1300$. Say the electronics could be done for 700$, that's a 5x markup. That's not a margin they have on the cars.

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Greetings from Mexico. This is my best season, have enjoyed it like never before since I started this journey with Mrs noah . God bless you Mam

[@Francisco-287]

Waking up every 14th of each month to 210,000 dollars it's a blessing to I and my family... Big gratitude to noah rachel

[@Alfred-pm9ox]

I've heard she's great What's her view on the current market situation?

[@silver45q]

SHE'S MOSTLY ON TELEGRAMS, USING THE USERNAME .

[@s9josh778]

I reserved a Powerwall in May of 2015. It's been 9.5 YEARS and they still have not contacted me or responded to my many requests for an update! The only thing I ever received was the initial email saying Thank You for the reservation.

[@ADHJkvsNgsMBbTQe]

Same here (2018). They’re happy to take a deposit, but after that you’ll just be ghosted. It’s a wonder that anybody would still consider doing business with them at all.

[@andyrichardson7558]

I have a Tesla solar system using conventional panels that was installed in 2020. It was price-competitive with other installers and it has served me well - even surviving two strong hurricanes without issues. But I have to say, the service was terrible. Pre-sales info was slow or plain missing. Updates on the progress of the build were impossible to get. I'd be reluctant to recommend them to anyone else but if you are looking at batteries you'll certainly want to compare the Powerwalls to other options.

[@stayathomedad75]

i'm getting panels installed right now and they have been extremely responsive. I'm not hyping them because before contracting with tesla i worried about your exact experiences. i read in many places that their service was very lacking. but i've not experienced that at all. Also, i would never buy a powerwall because they are way overpriced. Which i find strange, since the solar install was very price competitive, but the powerwall isn't close.

[@gvanwesep]

I bought a Tesla solar system a few years ago. The price was VERY competitive, in fact a local solar company said they could not do the installation for the Tesla price and be profitable. But, the installation was by an out of state company. When they first came they would not do the install because Tesla’s roof inspection had been inadequate (a drone flyover) and I needed a new roof. After the installation was finally completed there were problems and customer service was beyond terrible. I finally tore the system out and replaced it using a local company. That system has worked flawlessly.

[@DrewYoung-h5j]

It was not price competitive if using decent local companies. Sorry not true.

[@rogergeyer9851]

I'm just not putting up with an outfit with a reputation for bad service. I might get a Tesla V3 (or later when available) battery like a friend just did, but I'll go with an installer who knows their business and has a good reputation AND cares about providing decent customer service.

[@callmebigpapa]

I installed 3.2kw system at my house for under 1k usd ....the salad days are over we are now in the race to the bottom. Tesla sells premium, residential solar is no longer premium. They can afford to do the solar roof now when regular panels are $.16cents a what now and will likely fall. As for the storage the Tesla Powerwall costs about $16,800 for the similar amount of storage you can get a EG4 battery for 3400 and it too qualifies for the 30% credit. The advantage the Powerwall has is that you can be a power utility as a part of their program and earn money but it would seem to take a very long time to make back the money. For me I am going diy and lowest cost.

[@celestialnubian]

YT served me a Tesla Solar ad while watching this vid. 🤣🤣🤣

[@chiplangowski3298]

This isn't specific to Tesla, but to solar in general. We installed our system in 2021. We paid about $24k for an 11.3kW system after tax rebates. Fast-forward to 2023/2024 and people in our area reported being quoted in excess of $60k for systems under 10kW. For whatever reasons, the economic justifications for solar disappeared.

[@richard--s]

Interesting, there is Solar City as a part of a town in Austria, from about 1999 or 2000. Planning this begun in 1992.

[@emptycl0ud9]

Worked in a Solar Panel manufacturing company in the US. Raw materials are mainly from China especially cells plus manufacturing the frames and glass alone is expensive anywhere in the West. Chinese companies dont want to sell the class S cells to North America to protect their market superiority in efficiency. The US is also cracking down on the solar rebates if the raw materials used are from provinces that are black listed for human Rights violations

[@threelowlys]

Stripping out the carbon credit, Tesla ain't making much money either... that's a major concern

[@bigdreams5554]

It's a major grift

[@marc0443]

Solar for homes is difficult because roofs are irregular. Solar farms integrated into the energy grid are a much better option.

[@bensondentalassociates8690]

Wait till you hear about nuclear

[@matthewconnor5483]

Ideally solar should be a value add on existing property like making use of commercial roof tops or parking lots.

[@tajdvl-advocate6113]

@@matthewconnor5483And homes with local battery storage.

[@jimmiller5600]

Standard solar panel prices have been falling like a rock.

[@r-saint]

Likely to become just an internal department providing solar for Superchargers, factories, office buildings, etc... They will not disband it completely

[@mart0225]

The video states that Tesla doesn’t use its own solar on its factories.

[@r-saint]

@@mart0225 They use it, just not a lot, and not for manufacturing. Some of the roofs are covered

[@r-saint]

@@mart0225 You can check yourself, by finding the factories on google maps satellite views.

[@d.d.jacksonpoetryproject]

What a nicely detailed report. Thank you.

[@MagicToenail]

Did Tesla Space finally criticize Tesla instead of glazing Elon and all his companies?

[@Ojisan642]

I’ve been wanting to buy solar for a long time and was very interested in Tesla Solar but I just realized: I don’t need to get off the grid, I just need the battery backup for when the grid is off. Solar is such a big commitment in comparison to whole-home batteries. It’s a lot more risk of getting bad installation, it’s more at risk from hailstones, and it’s way more expensive. Maybe solar companies should focus on locations where the grid is unavailable or extremely unreliable.

[@Doug-tc2px]

Solar power is interest rate sensitive due upfront cost

[@richardloach610]

I've leased Tesla panels since 2018. This video sums up the myriad issues associated with this business division. It's just basically too risky now for Tesla. It's like they convinced themselves more than their customers of how simple the whole business model would be but how zero infrastructure set up in the field to handle all the maze of problems with installations, repairs, maintenance, connectivity issues. Everything they do is outsourced, from the panels to the customer service people to the technicians, it's all regional and out of their control. No wonder they gave up. This being said, the panels have worked very well for me

[@abbcc555]

Solar panels are getting cheaper and cheaper. Tesla's solar solution is way too expensive and convoluted. Traditional solar panels are a much much better deal.

[@darbycaneen5774]

Yes and guess who has the cheapest solar in the states and with the cheapest battery? Oh that’s right it’s Tesla

[@abbcc555]

@@darbycaneen5774 "cheapest solar?", umm what? "cheapest battery"? both are wrong.

[@darbycaneen5774]

@ we do have the lowest price in America for solar and we are the ones who make the battery. I do this for a living, do some research.

[@abbcc555]

@@darbycaneen5774 Ok, didn't know solar panels were that expensive in the US. In Europe Tesla's solution would be laughably over priced.

[@darbycaneen5774]

@ sure but like I always tell people, what is your battery solution? If you need a battery to store the energy, Tesla makes the best battery

[@InsightGlobal365]

Thanks for breaking down such a complex topic. It’s refreshing to see an acknowledgment that Tesla solar isn’t dead yet but has significant hurdles

[@Cartercentral]

President Musk is out conning even the original Orange con man. A match made in heaven, or hell.

[@nathanward9972]

Very nicely researched and put together

[@jsouth489]

My Tesla solar advisor said they are trying to phase out the roof

[@Mike-01234]

The problem is the amount of profits the solar installer and industry demands. I can buy and install 50kwh solar system myself for $35k with a 45kwh battery. Tesla and others would want $100-150k to do the same. They would sell the system to the end user as a way to shift the electric bill to a long term loan at a lower price. Salesmen could sell that when rates were 2 to 3 %. If you want a fully UL certified installation at 1/4 the cost of Tesla check out signature solar. You can DIY install a UL listed system, or they have a list of contractors from many states you can get it installed.

[@MaxKito2]

Maybe the system works well depending on the size of the rooftop being covered, the location of the house for daily/yearly sun exposure. What’s confusing, is that there are many videos of some American homes adopting solar panels successfully, but not from Tesla. So maybe just maybe Tesla or Elon overpromised and under delivered and that’s why their result. Plus this ain’t cheap at all regardless of whichever company a person chooses.

[@TheCollabCurator]

3:12 my understanding is that solar city was not doing well and that’s why Elon made Tesla step in and bail his brother out of a bad situation.

[@bobfuhr4520]

A rich friend paid 20k for solar. As i pay here in solid sunshine mexico 20$ a month, it will take me 66years to break even if the solar works perfectly. T

[@Tomm9y]

I guess your electricity price is higher than the UK equivalent of 32c per kwh. Although some people also top up batteries using the night rate electricity which is 10c per kwh.

[@georgesamaras2922]

bro, u dont even say what s the local kwh rate, the daily consumption of your friends house, and the size of the array or if batteries where used.

[@aaacomp1]

@@georgesamaras2922 he's mexican, he probably fell asleep before he could put the pertinent information

[@3beltwesty]

The Solar City H6 inverters charged high voltage battery units..ie in the 550 Volt DC range. These were a custom variant of a Delta inverter. 6000 watt split phase output inverters that can work off grid. Many Hundreds of Surplus new old stock Solar City were sold by a Texas Solar company on ebay/web about 4 to 6 year ago . The AC output connection for the 6000 watt on grid is beefy. The off grid connection has smaller lugs. The experimenters with Solar City H6 inverters sometimes had them fail. My gut feeling is the off grid section of the H6 inverter is less than 6000 watts as maybe why they failed.

[@ddivinia]

The actual solar side is a tough one. The Tesla Powerwall 3 is a game changer.

[@thestresstheoryofhansselye3607]

Many thanks for this informative report. It indicates that the solar power technology hasn’t yet matured, and it’s best to wait until everything is stable and standardized. Theoretically what seems to make sense is to convert homes completely to DC current to eliminate the need for expensive and failure prone inverters needed to convert the solar power to alternating current. What would be needed is a new generation of appliances designed to utilize DC current. Can anyone comment on the limitations of this idea?

[@GoodFaithEnergy]

We kindly ask that you credit us for the footage you’ve used from our channel

[@esta1177]

Revenue for Tesla's energy-generation-and-storage business was nearly $2.4 billion in the third quarter of 2024, up by 52% from the same period last year.Oct 25, 2024

[@djp1234]

I also wonder how much Elon's radicalization has to do with declining sales. He alienated the type of people who would buy solar.

[@ntruter42]

10:37 "...team up with Panasonic to manufacture the new solar product at high volume". Is that a pun?

[@isturbo1984]

The truth about Tesla Solar is that its solar. Good on paper, horrible in practice.

[@DraftedByTheMan]

I am 100% solar with batteries. I had a neighbour come by and ask if she could charge her cellphone at my house. I asked her “why?”. She said “don’t you know the power has been out for 3 days?”

[@isturbo1984]

@@DraftedByTheMan i mean, ya, if you have the money to pimp your house out with solar... then you still need to invest in batteries. like i said, bad in practice

[@DraftedByTheMan]

@@isturbo1984it’s about an 8 year payback based on what I spent and the zero electricity bills. I’m 5 years into it so after 3 more years I’ll be ahead financially. This doesn’t include the fact that I now run a pool pump all day and use lots more electricity than I normally would if I was paying for it. I even ran a line over to my neighbor’s store so she can make and sell ice with free electricity. If I ever get an EV, then again, basically free electricity. I have a 20 year warranty on the panels and batteries

[@saillarry]

BS!! Solar works fine when combined with a proper battery bank and electronics. What screws it up is when everyone else gets overinvolved in the process. I have had solar on my sailboat for 20 years..windpower also. Both provide a clean, renewable, source of electricity for my boat. ...and that is with only 200 watts of solar power! If you want solar at home, forget going the usual public utilities tie-in, unless you love officialdom and 50 pages of forms to get filled out first. DIY! The system is user friendly as hell, and very cost effective to do. There are a million different calculators for sunlight availability on your site, which dirrection to point the arrays, etc. You can do it, probably easier than installing a shed! It Is Not Horrible in Practice. You are not aware of the facts.

[@isturbo1984]

@@saillarry you didnt even read my reply to the other guy, ya,. it works fine,. if this and that and that and this. and you also buy this. and pair it with that. then... THEN its just fine lol.

[@aesericho3651]

I love the look of the panels over the traditional panels but no way in hell can I justify the price tag

[@Pr0toPoTaT0]

Im used to hearing a lot of elon gobbling on here. Im glad you didnt give him any flowers on this one man.

[@DavidFiorillo-m3o]

Very good report.I will be watching your channel more often.

[@srohowsky]

@TheTeslaSpace, pretty good video! I would give you about 80-90% correct.

[@kencotton4645]

I think one of the reasons Tesla solar struggled to gain customers was the installation companies they chose to partner with. I really wanted Tesla solar when I was shopping for a solar system. I liked the idea of monitoring my car and house from one app plus the possibility of future bi-directional charging from my car to act as another backup battery for my system. But both of the companies they referred to me gave off sleazy used car dealer vibes. I did not feel like I could trust either one.

[@NoirMorter]

To keep one thing in mind for Chinese Solar production, they have a way of getting all parts for really cheap as they built the infrastructure in those countries just for that themselves. Afterward the CCP has pumped ridiculous amounts of money into the green energy industry to the point that it has nearly bankrupt European and American competitors. Finally China has a near 1000% tariff on the importation of non-Chinese green energy products regardless of if they are produced in "Chinese" factories. In The Wealth of Nations, Smith brought up one reason to implement tariffs is in the "protection of essential industries." Seeing as solar panels will have to be replaced at most in twenty years as well as how critical energy is to the nation in almost every market, industry even down to the citizen I would argue that green energy companies qualify for the protectionist rule Smith put into place. China is subsiding and has been their industry there however even if they were not I would still support Biden pushing the Tariffs to until the prices were so high China would make no money, and in fact go into debt just to ship a single panel. Europe should do the same by the way.

[@cryptickcryptick2241]

Solar panels can last 30 years, and given that oil, another highly traded energy good, is used up immediately, cutting off solar cell production is not an essential industry.

[@Martinit0]

Also notably Tesla had severe cash flow problems right in 2024 Q1. Their operating CF was barely positive and free CF was negative $2.5B due to large investments. So Musk probably didn't want another negative contributor to operating cash flow. Even throughout 2023 the FCF was very low, less than $1B per quarter or $0.10 - $0.20 per share.

[@rogergeyer9851]

Stop with the nonsense, re Tesla having a cash problem when they have over 33 $BILLION in CASH ON HAND, per multiple reliable sources. Being a troll doesn't make you at all credible. If their cash flow becomes a chronic problem over a meaningful time frame, then their cash on hand will reflect that in time. Do you also claim the earth is flat, while spewing nonsense?

[@rob1andrews]

Tried to get solar roof, had a slight curve on one section of the roof. They would not install the roof if it was not 100% solar tile. Price was slate roof expensive even after subtracting solar panel equivalent value.

[@muskepticsometimes9133]

Great video State of NY spent vast amount to subsidize tesla solar factiry in Buffalo

[@BetGonz]

Dojo is already deployed at Buffalo, being diversified to Austin and other dedicated locations

[@Zebra66]

Solar generates energy when most people are out at work and zero in the evening and winter when it's needed most. It simply isn't a solution to the problem they claim. There are certain use cases where it makes sense for some as a cost saving tech when used in conjunction with battery storage. But that's all.

[@johnwax9759]

Us sorry-ass New Yorkers are still paying for the Buffalo plant debacle.

[@AosZ]

Elon is in the business of selling ideas, then the awesome engineers that work for him make it happen. When his ideas aren't feasible, this is what happens. When he announces something, there is always smoke and mirrors (ie. robots). He's the world's greatest vaporware salesman.

[@weksauce]

They said the roofs around the press conference were tesla solar tiles. That was a complete lie.

[@think2086]

The American Economy is essentially about making as much profit as possible by hoarding as much money as possible away from labor. Now, we outsourced almost everything manufactured so we can take advantage of cheap labor overseas. This has resulted in us not being very good at manufacturing. If we were GOOD at it, rather than trying to make more profit by paying laborers less, we would simply find more efficient ways to produce things. *Until we switch to a non-profit society, we will continue to suck at everything, compared to what we could be.*

[@twostate7822]

Tesla needs to do something splashy, like installing Tesla solar tiles in their Las Vegas Loop tunnel. This would perfectly illustrate the saying "Two mistakes make a right".

[@bbsteve73]

Disappointed when I see stock footage that had nothing to do with subject. You’re better than that.

[@Chris_In_Texas]

They Telsa wanted just about $380K for the solar roof for our home. Crazy talk. I could almost have $1600 electric bill every month for 20 years, which is the end of life for those panels. Here in Texas that makes zero sense at all, as power is so cheap here at $0.11/kwh. That works out to about 14,000 kWh worth every single month. Even in the peak of the heat of summer we only use about 4000 kWh worth, so the math flat out doesn't work. 🤦‍♂🤷‍♂

[@stetbro]

California government failing to reign in power companies from fucking over customers with solar is the real issue. When I purchased my home it had a 6kWh array on the roof. The power company always charged me for electricity at the highest rates, and paid me for my input to the grid at the lowest rates. They didn't actually pay me either, until I moved and sold the residence in which they were forced to pay me out the remaining positive balance that I had acquired to the tune of $500. Sun Edison is the problem with solar in California and until power companies are held accountable for criminal billing practices, solar will remain a losing proposition for consumers.

[@scottmanleyAZ]

I waited a year and finally got my Tesla solar with Powerwall. Worked great,. Wish I had configured two battery packs however instead of one.

[@pn2543]

If Elon was actually a real engineer instead of a salesman/promoter, he would have known that solar shingles are a boneheaded idea that will never work.

[@romanreiter7806]

Feels good to watch a critical objective video about tesla. Good job.

[@christinearmington]

I feel so lucky to have dodged this bullet. I had a contract at the end of 2020. Local company went out of the Tesla solar roof business. After building two.

[@AOHgoog22]

COST ...my quote for Tesla Solar Shingles was $233,000 for only 2 power walls and only 50 percent ACTIVE panels on the roof area. btw roof is 18 squares. ALSO local power company is throttling legal control over roof capacity TESLA ENGINEERs saying they have to 'get permission' from local power company to add more power ACTIVE panels and 2 more power walls

[@DraftedByTheMan]

I inquired to Tesla about 6 years ago regarding solar plus Powerwall. My roof will need to be replaced by 2027 and I’m hoping that I can install a solar roof rather than attaching panels. Never had a response.

[@stormyridgegirl5229]

Yep, residential solar is not going anywhere for any company recently. Industrial Solar makes a lot more sense since they can build and maintain and work with grid operators at scale. When you need to deal with your power company on a house by house basis is a lot of overhead. Of course Solar City was a bailout for the family. And sorry, unless you have a modern home it just does not look good.

[@davemorris1113]

I looked at adding solar to my home. The cost vs.electric bill savings ratio was off the chart against it. Slime ball sales people made it even easier to pass on the plan.

[@DouglasJMark]

Thanks. Well done eh? Cheers from Toronto 🇨🇦

[@Letsplay222]

There is no technological advantage to be captured with solar panels. You can only harness so much energy from the sun with a given amount of surface area. Tesla tried to differentiate by making them more aesthetic, but it didn't work out. Better to let cheap manufacturers handle it. Batteries and microchips are different.

[@darkfox77]

Actually. It's just such a stupid idea that we all need to just forget it ever existed. Until we create another way to do it.

[@mikeshafer]

The Tesla solar roof was such a great idea. I don't know how they failed so massively. I would love a pure solar roof, but you just can't get them.

[@OneTimesZero]

Calgary Alberta Canada wont even allow those solar roof since they put a limit on how much solar we can get. And it will look trash if only partial of your roof is covered in tesla solar. Sad that they are putting limits on green energy

[@MyrKnof]

The tiles seemed like such a good idea to me. Like, how would everyone not want this? Price would be the only obstacle..

[@spacegamer85]

Thanks for a great video that was not an attack piece. Tesla thought it had a new spin on a technology that if not mature, others have a scale and cost advantage. Now if Tesla goes all in on heat pump HVAC with solar and instead of retrofitting existing homes but focuses on new smart home construction they have a niche product for high end customers. They need to offer a package where value exceeds high up front costs.

[@AG-iu9lv]

"Say what you will about Biden. I'm Canadian, I don't care" 😂 Love that energy

[@Riiyan]

you can get 600-700watt panels with 30% efficiency for like 600 dollars per panel, why get something flashy, when you can get raw power on the cheap? I mean what used to be 20k to off grid a medium house, now takes less then 10k.