Tesla power wall

Exfarmer

Member
Location
Bury St Edmunds
I would hazard a guess that most of the USA has a hotter Summer climate than the maritime climate of the UK but colder and wetter in some seasons and regions also.
It certainly isn’t available in the UK yet anyway. There is some doubt whether it ever gets here. I don’t like the look of those ‘council-house’ type conventional panels stuck over a slate roof, so I just will not consider those.
There have been some built in panels roofs locally but industry opinion is most definitely a no no
 

br jones

Member
Well this is the one of the next ‘big things’ that Tesla is marketing.

i think they have being trying and failing to bring those to market at a sensible cost and a power wall is rocking horse poo ,no one who is a contracted supplier will give a delivery date.local firm have 30 on order ,think they might get 2this year
 

Will0

Member
You’d want at least 1 per phase?
Unless you have a constant demand for the solar, the only real advantage is using them as a buffer for holding the power from solar until its used, ie a heat pump thats firing up every hour or so. If you plan to harvest solar at lunch time and keep it all till the evening you’d want quite a few of them. Walked through a Tesla shop on Black Friday, the salesman said they’re just unavailable at the moment.
 

Poorbuthappy

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Devon
There have been some built in panels roofs locally but industry opinion is most definitely a no no
We have installed in-roof panels recently and installer was happy the overheating issues were not a problem with latest panels. Tbf ours is on a car port so just felt underneath then its open to the elements so I wasn't too concerned anyway.
They're obviously not slate lookalike like the tesla system but much tidier than on roof. I'll get some pics this week @Cowabunga when the roofers have slated round them.
Little dearer than on-roof, but cheaper when slate savings taken into account.
 

Overby

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
South West
I'm desperate to put in something similar but have been advised to hang on as there's major new developments imminent. The Tesla is a good 1st step but not 100% reliable (or so i'm informed).
 

Exfarmer

Member
Location
Bury St Edmunds
We have installed in-roof panels recently and installer was happy the overheating issues were not a problem with latest panels. Tbf ours is on a car port so just felt underneath then its open to the elements so I wasn't too concerned anyway.
They're obviously not slate lookalike like the tesla system but much tidier than on roof. I'll get some pics this week @Cowabunga when the roofers have slated round them.
Little dearer than on-roof, but cheaper when slate savings taken into account.
Installers are always happy as soon as they are paid and gone. The effciency of the panels will be reduced considerably. I would remove the felt so the air can get to them. most modern felts area very efficient at retaining heat.
The heat will should have no effect on the panels though
 

Poorbuthappy

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Devon
Installers are always happy as soon as they are paid and gone. The effciency of the panels will be reduced considerably. I would remove the felt so the air can get to them. most modern felts area very efficient at retaining heat.
The heat will should have no effect on the panels though
He would have installed either for us so no loss to him.
Will certainly monitor it.
 

Exfarmer

Member
Location
Bury St Edmunds
There has to be an opportunity to harvest the heat from inbuilt solar panels. Increase panel efficiency and possibly heat pump the energy.
No they do not generate heat, it is just the same as being behind a darkened glass window, but the level of heat will build up and not be lost the actual amount of heat available to harvest would be very small.
It is just that on a regular install sitting a couple of inches clear of the, a draft builds up behind the panels exiting at the ridge as the warm air rises and maintains the panels at ambient air temperature. The amount of production lost is not that great but over 20 years is considerable.
It does also have the advantage that it helps keep the building cool as this solar heat is absorbed by the roof anyway without the panels
 

JohnBoy

Member
Well this is the one of the next ‘big things’ that Tesla is marketing.


That's the key. Tesla are great for generating interest ahead of availability, sometimes that works out for them, sometimes it doesn't.

So far signs are not promising for the solar roof.

Velux were doing solar panels a few years back, don't know if they still are, they were definitely a better looking option than on the roof. Think they were hot water panels, do they do PV too?
 

Exfarmer

Member
Location
Bury St Edmunds
That's the key. Tesla are great for generating interest ahead of availability, sometimes that works out for them, sometimes it doesn't.

So far signs are not promising for the solar roof.

Velux were doing solar panels a few years back, don't know if they still are, they were definitely a better looking option than on the roof. Think they were hot water panels, do they do PV too?
If the Velux panels are anything like my Velux skylights, then bargepoles would come to mind ☹️
 

steveR

Member
Mixed Farmer
In early December I found that my house really needs re-roofing. The slates are fine but there’s no felt under them and the nails are rusty and past it. Enquired about a Tesla solar roof and Power Wall for running the house and charging an electric car or two in future. Unfortunately the system is not available in the UK, according to a reply to my enquiry. I took that to mean that neither the solar roof system nor the battery pack was yet available.
Have you got to use slates??

Serious question...
 

Cowabunga

Member
Location
Ceredigion,Wales
Have you got to use slates??

Serious question...
Most houses around these parts have Welsh slate roofs. Mine is set down slightly from a public road so that one side, the side facing most sun from the general East to South direction, is in full view. The far side is probably not suitable for solar and will have the old slates refitted.
Here’s the back of the house, facing the road, at around 8am in September and the sun will track from the extreme right to the end of the house to the extreme left at that time of year, but not so much from October onwards where only the slates facing the camera will get direct sunlight.

DSC04269.jpeg
 
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