Energy
Tesla Solar Roof takes step towards new variants with textured, colored tile patent
It appears that Tesla is working on some improvements for its Solar Roof tiles that may allow the company to release new variants of the flagship solar product. These potential Solar Roof improvements were discussed extensively in a recently-published patent, which described how the electric car and energy company intends to roll out tiles that feature a better, more seamless appearance.
Tesla’s Solarglass Roof tiles are already among the most aesthetically-pleasing PV systems in the market. A Solar Roof installation involves the setup of both PV and non-PV roof tiles, and according to Tesla, this could present some issues. Since some tiles do not have solar cells in them, there will be some angles or times when it is possible to distinguish which tiles have solar cells and which do not.
Tesla described this issue in the background of its patent, titled “System and Method for Improving Color Appearance of Solar Roofs” and published on February 11, 2021.
“When viewed from a shallow angle (e.g., when the roof is viewed from the street), the dark-colored photovoltaic structures can become visible. The color contrast between the photovoltaic structures and the glass cover can create a scene that is not aesthetically pleasing… Although the non-PV roof tiles can include similar glass covers as those of the PV roof tiles, the absence of embedded photovoltaic structures can result in the non-PV roof tiles having a different color appearance than that of the PV roof tiles.”
Tesla notes that these issues are due to several factors, including tiny imperfections during the Solar Roofs’ manufacturing process or the fact that PV roof tiles tend to look different when viewed under different lighting and at different viewing angles. According to Tesla, there are ways to get around these challenges, such as adopting a robust color-management scheme and some adjustments in the Solar Roof tiles’ manufacturing line.
“First, to reduce the color contrast within a PV roof tile, the PV roof tile can encapsulate polycrystalline-Si-based photovoltaic structures. By controlling the size and pattern of the surface texture of the polycrystalline-Si-based photovoltaic structures, one can reduce the “glow” of the photovoltaic structures. While keeping the front cover of the roof tile transparent, the back surface of the back cover can be coated with a layer of paint that matches the color of the textured surface of the photovoltaic structures to reduce the color contrast within the PV roof tile. A similar paint layer can also be deposited onto the back surface of the non-PV roof tiles.”
“As a result, the color appearance of the PV and non-PV roof tiles can be quite similar. Moreover, when assembling the PV roof tiles, the embedded photovoltaic structures are fed into the production line following a predetermined color pattern such that a majority of PV roof tiles contains solar cells of a similar color and PV roof tiles of different colors are evenly or randomly mixed to prevent clustering of colors on a roof.”
Through these methods, Tesla noted that it would be able to create Solar Roof tiles that feature much less “glow” than typical integrated PV systems. The patent also covered how reactive ion etching (RIE) techniques could be utilized to create textured PV roof tiles. These invoke images of the various Solar Roof variants that Elon Musk unveiled in 2016, which included textured tiles that mirrored the appearance of materials like slate and clay.
“The surface of a polycrystalline-Si-based solar cell can be textured using a reactive ion etching (RIE) technique. In further embodiments, the feature size of the RIE-textured surface can be less than 1 micron (i.e., 0.5 micron or less). In alternative embodiments, the surface of the solar cells can have pyramid texturing with the base width of the pyramids being less than 1 micron (e.g., 0.7 micron or less). Compared to the textured surface of a monocrystalline-Si-based solar cell, the RIE-textured surface of the polycrystalline-Si solar cells can have improved surface uniformity. As a result, the PV roof tiles can have reduced color flop and glow.”
“In alternative embodiments, reducing the cell glow can be achieved through specifically designed anti-reflection coating. This specially designed anti-reflective coating (AR) on a monocrystalline-Si-based solar cell surface can include materials with a higher refractive index than a conventional AR coating (e.g., an indium tin oxide (ITO) coating). More precisely, the specifically designed AR coating can include a layer of SiNx or a SiOxNy /SiNy double layer structure. As a result, the cell glow can be reduced by three- to eightfold with low (e.g., less than 5%) power loss.”
Elon Musk has stated that 2021 will be a key year for the Solar Roof, with the CEO noting that its potential would be evident this year. Considering the company’s ongoing rollout of the integrated PV system and the development of better Solar Roof designs, it may only be a matter of time before more customers of Tesla’s flagship residential solar product would have more design options available.
Read Tesla’s recently-published Solar Roof patent could be accessed here.
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Energy
Tesla Energy celebrates one decade of sustainability
Tesla Energy has gone far since its early days, and it is now becoming a progressively bigger part of the company.
Tesla Energy recently celebrated its 10th anniversary with a dedicated video showcasing several of its milestones over the past decade.
Tesla Energy has gone far since its early days, and it is now becoming a progressively bigger part of the company.
Tesla Energy Early Days
When Elon Musk launched Tesla Energy in 2015, he noted that the business is a fundamental transformation of how the world works. To start, Tesla Energy offered the Powerwall, a 7 kWh/10 kWh home battery system, and the Powerpack, a grid-capable 100 kWh battery block that is designed for scalability. A few days after the products’ launch, Musk noted that Tesla had received 38,000 reservations for the Powerwall and 2,500 reservations for the Powerpack.
Tesla Energy’s beginnings would herald its quiet growth, with the company later announcing products like the Solar Roof tile, which is yet to be ramped, and the successor to the Powerwall, the 13.5 kWh Powerwall 2. In recent years, Tesla Energy also launched its Powerwall 3 home battery and the massive Megapack, a 3.9 MWh monster of a battery unit that has become the backbone for energy storage systems across the globe.
Key Milestones
As noted by Tesla Energy in its recent video, it has now established facilities that allow the company to manufacture 20,000 units of the Megapack every year, which should help grow the 23 GWh worth of Megapacks that have already been deployed globally.
The Powerwall remains a desirable home battery as well, with more than 850,000 units installed worldwide. These translate to 12 GWh of residential entry storage delivered to date. Just like the Megapack, Tesla is also ramping its production of the Powerwall, allowing the division to grow even more.
Tesla Energy’s Role
While Tesla Energy does not catch as much headlines as the company’s electric vehicle businesses, its contributions to the company’s bottom line have been growing. In the first quarter of 2025 alone, Tesla Energy deployed 10.4 GWh of energy storage products. Powerwall deployments also crossed 1 GWh in one quarter for the first time. As per Tesla in its Q1 2025 Update Letter, the gross margin for the Energy division has improved sequentially as well.
Tesla Energy shined in what was a weak delivery report for the first quarter, as the company’s frequently-forgotten battery storage products performed extraordinarily well.
Tesla reported its Q1 production, delivery, and deployment figures for the first quarter of the year, and while many were less-than-excited about the automotive side, the Energy division performed well with 10.4 GWh of energy storage products deployed during the first quarter.
This was a 156 percent increase year-over-year and the company’s second-best quarter in terms of energy deployments to date. Only Q4 2024 was better, as 11 GWh was recorded.
Tesla Energy is frequently forgotten and not talked about enough. The company has continued to deploy massive energy storage projects across the globe, and as it recorded 31.5 GWh of deployments last year, 2025 is already looking as if it will be a record-setting year if it continues at this pace.
Tesla Megapacks to back one of Europe’s largest energy storage sites
Although Energy performed well, many investors are privy to that of the automotive division’s performance, which is where some concern lies. Tesla had a weak quarter for deliveries, missing Wall Street estimates by a considerable margin.
There are two very likely reasons as to why this happened: the first is Tesla’s switchover to the new Model Y at its production facilities across the globe. Tesla said it lost “several weeks” of production due to the updating of manufacturing lines as it rolled out a new version of its all-electric crossover.
Secondly, Tesla could be facing some pressure from pushback against the brand, which is what many analysts will say. Despite the publicity of attacks on Tesla drivers and their vehicles, as well as the company’s showrooms, it would be safe to assume that we will have a better picture painted of what the issue is in Q2 after the company reports numbers in July.
If Tesla is still struggling with lackluster delivery figures in Q2 after the Model Y is ramped and deliveries are more predictable and consistent, we could see where the argument for brand damage is legitimate. However, we are more prone to believe the Model Y, which accounts for most of Tesla’s sales, and its production ramp is likely the cause for what happened in Q1.
In what was a relatively bleak quarter, Tesla Energy still shines as the bright spot for the quarter.
Tesla has chosen the location of its latest manufacturing project, a facility that will churn out the Megapack, a large-scale energy storage system for solar energy projects. It has chosen Waller County, Texas, as the location of the new plant, according to a Commissioners Court meeting that occurred on Wednesday, March 5.
Around midday, members of the Waller County Commissioners Court approved a tax abatement agreement that will bring Tesla to its area, along with an estimated 1,500 jobs. The plant will be located at the Empire West Industrial Park in the Brookshire part of town.
Brookshire also plans to consider a tax abatement for Tesla at its meeting next Thursday.
The project will see a one million square-foot building make way for Tesla to build Megapack battery storage units, according to Covering Katy News, which first reported on the company’s intention to build a plant for its energy product.
CEO Elon Musk confirmed on the company’s Q4 2024 Earnings Call in late January that it had officially started building its third Megapack plant, but did not disclose any location:
“So, we have our second factory, which is in Shanghai, that’s starting operation, and we’re building a third factory. So, we’re trying to ramp output of the stationary battery storage as quickly as possible.”
Tesla plans third Megafactory after breaking energy records in 2024
The Megapack has been a high-demand item as more energy storage projects have started developing. Across the globe, regions are looking for ways to avert the loss of power in the event of a natural disaster or simple power outage.
This is where Megapack comes in, as it stores energy and keeps the lights on when the main grid is unable to provide electricity.
Vince Yokom of the Waller County Economic Development Partnership, commented on Tesla’s planned Megapack facility:
“I want to thank Tesla for investing in Waller County and Brookshire. This will be a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility for their Megapack product. It is a powerful battery unit that provides energy storage and support to help stabilize the grid and prevent outages.”
Tesla has had a lease on the building where it will manufacture the Megapacks since October 2021. However, it was occupied by a third-party logistics company that handled the company’s car parts.
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