Energy
Tesla patent hints at system that makes Solar Roof tiles look even better
While Tesla’s Solar Roof tiles are already being installed on the homes of first customers in the United States, the shingles themselves are still in initial production. Unveiled back in October 2016, the Solar Roof tiles are expected hit larger production volumes this year. As the company heads into yet another ramp of a potentially disruptive product, though, Tesla appears to be working on some improvements on the tiles’ design as well.
As noted in a recently published patent application, Tesla is developing a system that would allow the company to improve the aesthetics of the solar shingles even further. In the patent application’s description, Tesla noted that integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) roofing systems such as the Solar Roof tiles are becoming more popular in the residential solar market, thanks to their benefits in both function and design. That said, while BIPV systems present an excellent solution for design-conscious customers, the system itself faces some challenges — the most notable of which is visual uniformity.
Tesla notes that in prior art BIPV roofing systems, the active solar portions of a roofing module end up being visibly different in appearance compared to inactive parts of the roof. The company notes that this contrast in appearance can get so pronounced that it becomes easy to spot which tiles are active and which are inactive from road level. Tesla notes that even in the design of the shingles themselves, it is quite easy to determine which parts of the tiles are active and which ones are not.
“This problem of visual mismatch, however, is not limited to BIPV versus non-BIPV sections of the roof. Even within a single roof tile and/or BIPV roofing module, the solar cells or active solar regions are clearly distinguishable from the other surrounding materials. This is due in part to edge setback constraints that impose a fixed, non-active edge border around active solar portions of solar roof tiles or BIPV roofing modules. Therefore, there exists a need for a solar roof tile or BIPV roofing module that ameliorates deficiencies of prior art BIPV roofing systems,” Tesla wrote.
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- Tesla’s solar shingle design outlined in its recent patent application. (Photo: US Patent Office)
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- Tesla’s solar shingle design outlined in its recent patent application. (Photo: US Patent Office)
The design of Tesla’s solar shingles outlined in its recent patent application. (Photo: US Patent Office)
Tesla explains this design issue for BIPV roofing systems more extensively in the section below.
“In either tile 105 of FIG. 2 or tile 106 of FIG. 3, the lack of active thin-film material within the edge setback results in a relatively large, e.g. ˜16 mm, visible border around the outside of active area 112 that is noticeable not only when viewed up close, but even at street level distances from a roof surface. This result can be seen in the extended partial array 100 of FIG. 4. The relatively large percentage of tile surface area of the edge setback that is devoid of thin-film material creates a sharply contrasting two-color/two-tone pattern between the area surrounding the active area of thin-film photovoltaic material and the active area of thin-film photovoltaic material. In embodiments, techniques are used to provide aesthetic uniformity such as depositing colored material on the underside of top glass 110 prior to lamination to conceal active area 112 beneath. This approach, however, may result in a reduction in energy collection because these extra materials may block photons from reaching active area 112.”
Tesla’s solution for this aesthetic challenge — which uses an inactive area of thin-film photovoltaic material that surrounds a solar shingles’ active area — is simple and clever. Tesla describes its design in the section below.
“As shown, the tiles 205 include a substantially rectangular active 212 surrounded by a substantially rectangular board of an inactive area 225. In embodiments, the inactive area may completely surround the active area or may only be present on one, two or three sides of the active area. As shown in FIG. 5, the tiles 205 create a more uniform look and, when viewed at distances, such as in shown in FIG. 8, adhesion area 215 blends into the natural seams between adjacent tiles or between active areas 212 of adjacent tile sections. The visible material difference has been attenuated by the use of non-active thin-film material within a portion of the setback region allowing for a smaller adhesion zone.”
Tesla’s recent patent application would be particularly useful for the other Solar Roof variants planned by the company. So far, social media posts from Solar Roof owners show homes fitted with the company’s Textured tiles, whose design inherently bypasses the uniformity issues described in the patent application. As for other Solar Roof variants like Smooth and Tuscan, though, the recent application’s innovations would certainly be beneficial.
Tesla’s Solar Roof tiles are being produced at Gigafactory 2 in Buffalo, NY. Over the years, the facility has largely evaded attention, particularly as Tesla’s energy business was mostly overshadowed by the company’s ramp for the Model 3. Last year, though, Tesla opened the doors of Gigafactory 2 to the media, providing a glimpse of what is in store for the company’s residential solar business. While Tesla did not provide specifics on the facility’s current output, the electric car and energy company did state that Gigafactory 2 is operating 24/7, and that the long waiting list for the Solar Roof tiles would likely keep the entire facility busy for years.
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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