When installing a solar energy system, many people choose to install solar shingles for aesthetics; solar shingles look similar to traditional shingles, but they are capable of generating electricity like solar panels. While solar shingles are still popular, there are only a handful of companies that manufacture solar shingles, with Tesla solar shingles being the most popular. Below we will take you through the differences between Tesla solar shingles and regular solar shingles.
Difference between Tesla solar shingles and ordinary solar shingles
Tesla solar shingles are mainly available in black textured and gray smooth models, which are covered with a layer of organic light-transmitting film on the solar panels, and then covered with high-strength toughened glass for the protection of solar shingles. On the other hand, ordinary solar shingles come in a wide variety of looks and materials due to the different materials used by different manufacturers, including polished style, Italian Tosca style, slate style, and fabric style.
In addition to the basic function of converting solar energy into electricity, if you install Tesla solar shingles on Tesla Power Wall, it can power the whole house and realize energy self-sufficiency. For ordinary solar tiles only the basic function of converting solar energy into electricity.
The price of Tesla solar tile is 240 USD per square meter and the price of ordinary solar tile is 200 USD per square meter, if your roof area is 80 square meters, you need to prepare 19,200 USD for Tesla solar tile, and if you install ordinary solar tile, then you need to prepare the cost is 16,000 USD. You can clearly see that Tesla solar shingles are much more expensive than regular solar shingles.
The lifespan of regular solar shingles can be more than 30 years, which is considered to be a long lifespan. However, Tesla solar tile is superior to ordinary solar tile in technology and material selection, so the service life of Tesla solar tile is two to three times of ordinary solar tile, and it can be said that the service life of Tesla solar tile can reach more than 60 years.
Ordinary solar shingles utilize a transparent polycarbonate backing and a solar cell sheet, which can convert 12% to 18% of the sunlight irradiated on the solar shingles into electricity, which is equivalent to the photoelectric conversion efficiency of ordinary solar shingles of 12% to 18%. Tesla solar shingles have improved the coating on the surface of the shingle to optimize the photoelectric conversion efficiency of Tesla solar shingles’ mounting points, and now Tesla solar shingles’ photoelectric conversion efficiency can reach 15%~22%.
The compressive design of the surface of Tesla solar shingle makes it windproof, smash-proof and corrosion-proof, and the R&D group has seen the Tesla solar shingle remain intact when the hailstorm impacted the solar shingle at a speed of 177 km/h. The compressive strength of Tesla Solar Tile is equivalent to about 3 times that of ordinary solar tiles.
For Tesla solar tile, it has many advantages, not only has high photoelectric conversion efficiency, but also more beautiful. However, Tesla solar shingles are more expensive, so if you have enough budget cost, it is recommended that you choose Tesla solar shingles. If your budget cost is not enough, you can also consider other brands of solar shingles
