Tesla,Solar City
Date: 2019-06-14
"I am very excited about version 3 of solar roof. We have a shot at being equal to a comp shingle roof plus someone's utility cost or being lower than that. That's one of the cheapest roofs available. So you can have a great roof with better economics than a normal fairly cheap roof and your utility bill." -- Elon Musk, Tesla, CEO

According to Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Tesla's next generation of solar roof tiles will be even less expensive than initially announced after Tesla's 2017 merger with Solar City. Today, a standard asphalt shingle roof can cost as little as $4 per square foot. In 2018, the Solar City solar tiles cost about $21.85 per square foot.

Tesla acquired SolarCity in 2016 for $2.6 billion and planned to offer solar panels and home battery storage systems to consumers through its retail stores and online. In 2018, Tesla cut prices on its residential solar systems and its often touted solar roof tiles have not yet been produced on a commercial scale. (Source: Tesla, ZME Science, June, 2019)Contact: Tesla, www.teslamotors.com; SolarCity Corp., (650) 638-1028, www.solarcity.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Tesla,  Solar City,  Solar,  Solar Shingles,  

Tesla,Solar City
Date: 2019-05-10
As previously reported, in an effort to counter sinking installations at its Solar City subsidiary, Tesla has slashed prices by one-third or more in what is seen as a "last gasp effort" to reverse plunging sales.

In 2015, the year before it was acquired by Tesla, SolarCity installed 870 MW of solar systems shrinking to 326 MW of installations in 2018 under Tesla's ownership.

Tesla acquired SolarCity in 2016 for $2.6 billion and planned to offer solar panels and home battery storage systems to consumers through its retail stores and online. In 2018, Tesla cut prices on its residential solar systems and its often touted solar roof tiles have not yet been produced on a commercial scale.

(Source: Tesla, May, 2019) Contact: Tesla, www.teslamotors.com; SolarCity Corp., (650) 638-1028, www.solarcity.com

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Tesla,Solar City
Date: 2019-05-01
Following a reported Q1 slide in solar installations, SolarCity owner Tesla Inc reports it is selling solar panels and related equipment online for up to 38 pct below the national average price, according to New York Times coverage.

Tesla acquired SolarCity in 2016 for $2.6 billion and planned to offer solar panels and home battery storage systems to consumers through its retail stores and online. In 2018, Tesla cut prices on its residential solar systems. The company's ballyhooed and long awaited solar roof tiles that unveiled in late 2016 have not yet been produced on a commercial scale. (Source: Tesla, NY Times, 29 April, 2019) Contact: Tesla, www.teslamotors.com; SolarCity Corp., (650) 638-1028, www.solarcity.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News SolarCity,  Tesla Solar,  Solar Roof,  

Tesla
Date: 2017-07-07
Tesla’s company-branded solar panel is now officially on sale on selected stores. The official sale of the solar panel in stores follows after the announcement of the Silicon Valley-based Corporation which has instigated a push on Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) Solar promotional supplies in its shops and verified a preliminary platform where it wholesaled some of its solar merchandises from the sites. The preliminary platform was a success and it is now expected that Tesla’s Solar Roof and other Tesla-Branded solar Panels will now be available on stores nationwide and globally.

As seen in reports, Tesla has expounded on the reports in their Q1 shareholders letter. “Recently, we tested sales of our solar and storage products in several Tesla stores, and saw sales productivity improve 50% to 100% relative to the best non-Tesla retail locations. Based on these results, we are working towards fully staffing more than 70 Tesla stores in the U.S. and abroad with dedicated Tesla energy sales people over the next two quarters.”

Back in November, Tesla acquired SolarCity for an amount of $2.6 billion – a very much discussed acquisition by the shareholders. However, some questioned the move. The acquisition was deemed the world’s first ever vertically integrated defensible energy corporation and so far, Tesla remains as the only company serving in that industry. Solar City helped Tesla in its Battery Storage goods has improved its mass scale solar solution infrastructure. (Source: Tesla, Investing.com, 3 July, 2017)

More Low-Carbon Energy News Tesla news,  Solar news,  

Renewable Energy
Date: 2017-04-12
Nevada lawmakers in Carson City are debating a package of bills that would increase the amount of credit toward nighttime and cloudy-day power that residential solar users receive as a feed-in tariffs for their excess rooftop solar energy.

The legislation is intended to correct changes made in 2015-16 that effectively drove up the cost of residential solar and virtually halted the state's previously booming residential-solar industry and caused Sunrun, SolarCity and many small solar contractors to leave the solar business in Nevada.

Assembly Bill 270 is among five bills aimed at promoting renewable energies. Other measures would require solar companies to make contracts clearer, allow multiple homes to share solar energy and speed up the state's move to renewables. State law currently directs NV Energy, the state's monopolized utility, and any other providers to generate 20 pct of retail electricity from renewable sources. (Source: Nevada Legislature, CBS Las Vegas, AP, 6 April, 2017)

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Sungevity
Date: 2017-03-15
Oakland, California-headquartered solar energy major Sungevity, Inc. is reporting its filing for Chapt. 11 protection and the decimation of its remaining workforce after the January collapse of an expected merger that would have added approximately $200 million to the company's empty coffers. Several investors, led by Northern Pacific Group, have reportedly agreed to take control of Sungevity's assets in exchange for $20 million in financing to keep the company's operations going. Those assets will then be sold off in a court-supervised auction, according to Sungevity.

Sungevity specialized in a software platform that connected homeowners interested in going solar with installers who could perform the work, supplying instant online quotes. Although executives touted their asset-light model and aggressively expanded both in the United States and Europe, Sungevity's share of the residential solar market remained well behind such competitors as SolarCity and Sunrun. (Source: Sungevity, GTM, SF Gate, 13 Mar., 2017)Contact: Sungevity, Alec Guettel, Co-Founder, Andrew Birch, CEO, (510) 496-5500, www.sungevity.com

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Tesla, SolarCity, Kauai Island Utility Cooperative
Date: 2017-03-15
Tesla, SolarCity, and Kauai Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC) are reporting completion of a joint solar and battery energy-storage array in Hawaii. The facility, which includes 55,000 solar panels and 272 Tesla Powerpack lithium-ion battery packs, will be able to provide solar power to KIUC on demand, 24 hours a day.

KIUC has a 20-year has inked a PPA for electricity from the project at 13.9 cents per kilowatt-hour. (Source: Silicon Valley Business Journal, Green Car Reports, Others, 13 Mar., 2017) Contact: Kauai Island Utility Cooperative, David Bissell, Pres., CEO, www.kiuc.coop; Tesla, www.teslamotors.com; SolarCity Corp., Lyndon Rive, Pres., (650) 638-1028, www.solarcity.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Tesla,  SolarCity,  Kauai Island Utility Cooperative,  Solar,  Solar,  Solar Energy Storage,  

SolarCity
Date: 2017-03-06
The Christian Science Monitor is reporting that according to regulatory filings, SolarCity laid off 20 pct of its workforce in 2016, due to a slowdown in the residential solar industry.

The cuts and layoffs affected workers in operations, installations, manufacturing, sales, and marketing, according to the filings. Prior to the cuts, the company reportedly had 15,273 employees. (Source: Christian Science Monitor, 2 Mar., 2017) Contact: SolarCity Corp., Lyndon Rive, Pres., (650) 638-1028, www.solarcity.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News SolarCity,  Solar,  Rooftop Solar,  Residential Solar,  

New York Power Authority
Date: 2017-03-06
The New York Power Authority (NYPA) reports it is expediting the opportunities for the state's school districts to "go solar" and participate in Governor Andrew M. Cuomo's K-Solar initiative with the addition of two additional solar power vendors; Greenskies Renewable Energy will assist schools in Central and Northern New York and Long Island, and Solar Liberty will bring schools on-line in Western New York and the Southern Tier. SolarCity will continue to be the designated developer for the Hudson Valley, Capital Region and New York City.

K-Solar is a first-of-its kind program launched in January 2014, to combat climate change by promoting renewable energy use. The K-Solar program is administered by the New York Power Authority (NYPA) in partnership with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA). NYPA works with each school district and matches them with a solar developer to move ahead with installation.

To date, 25 districts have signed 48 individual power purchase agreements with K-Solar developers and are ready to proceed with solar panel installations. (Source: NYPA, PR, 1 Mar., 2017) Contact: NYPA, (914) 681-8186, paul.demichele@nypa.gov, www.nypa.gov; John B. Rhodes, Pres., CEO, (518) 862-1090, www.nyserda.ny.gov

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Tesla
Date: 2016-12-07
Under State of Florida legislation, only approved and regulated electric utilities are permitted to sell electricity to the public, thus Tesla's SolarCity residential rooftop solar lease model has been disallowed.

Under Tesla's model, the company owns the solar power system and takes all incentives -- Florida does not offer solar incentives -- then sells electricity to the homeowner at a discounted rate under the terms of a 20-yera PPA.

Tesla's solar lease model reportedly accounted for almost three-quarters of all U.S. residential solar lease sales in 2014. The percentage is expected to fall to about 50 pct of all residential solar installations in 2017. (Source: Tesla, electrek, 2 Dec., 2016)Contact: SolarCity Corp., Lyndon Rive, Pres., (650) 638-1028, www.solarcity.com; Tesla, www.teslamotors.com

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Tesla
Date: 2016-11-23
Electric vehicle phenomenon Tesla Motors is reporting its residential energy storage Powerwall Systems are now available over the counter at many Tesla auto outlets in California, Hawaii, the U.K. and Australia, among other locations in North America and Europe. The Powerwall's new availability coincides with Tesla's acquisition of solar energy company SolarCity, which closed Monday.

The Powerwall home battery stores solar energy for use as needed. Tesla says it plans to expand the offerings to more locations. (Source: Tesla, Automotive News, 21 Nov., 2016)Contact: Tesla, www.teslamotors.com, http://ir.tesla.com/corporate-governance.cfm

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Solar City,Tesla Motors
Date: 2016-11-02
At a recent publicity event in California, Tesla Motors Chairman Elon Musk commented on Tesla's new solar roof tiles.

Musk says the new tempered, textured glass tiles look like ordinary roof tiles but allow light to pass through from above onto a standard flat solar cell. They are "tough as steel" and can weather a "lifetime of abuse from the elements" as well as be fitted with heating elements to melt snow in colder climates. According to Musk, the tiles are "never going to wear out", have a "quasi-infinite lifetime" and are comparable to competing high-efficiency solar panels.

The company expects a slow mid 2017 roll-out SolarCity, under the Tesla and SolarCity brand brand. Pricing information is not presently available. The apparent plan is for Panasonic to produce the solar cells and for Tesla to assemble the "tough as steel" glass tiles. (Source: Tesla, Various Media, 1 Nov., 2016)Contact: SolarCity Corp., Lyndon Rive, Pres., (650) 638-1028, www.solarcity.com; Tesla, www.teslamotors.com

More Low-Carbon Energy News Rooftop Solar,  Tesla Motors,  Elon Musk,  Solar City,  

Tesla Motors,Panasonic
Date: 2016-10-19
Electric car superstar Tesla Motors reports its plans to join Japanese electronics specialist Panasonic Corp. to produce PV cells and modules in Buffalo, New York, beginning in 2017. The collaboration is subject to shareholder approval of Tesla's planned acquisition of SolarCity Corp.

According to Tesla, it will enter into a long-term purchase agreement with Panasonic for the PV cells and modules which will be used in a Tesla solar energy system.

Tesla and Panasonic have an existing partnership for the production of electric vehicle and grid storage battery cells at Tesla's Gigafactory in Nevada. Tesla and Panasonic are jointly building the $5 billion lithium-ion factory that will produce batteries for the Model 3 electric car, as well as residential and utility energy storage products. (Source: Panasonic, Tesla, RTT, 17 Oct., 2016) Contact: Tesla, www.teslamotors.com; Panasonic Eco Solutions North America, Dan Silver, President, (877) 438-7881, ecosolutions@us.panasonic.com, www.us.panasonic.com.

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