Giga Berlin Takeaway: Tesla Solar Roof in Germany by 2022

At Gigafactory Berlin-Brandeburg opening last weekend, when asked about when solar roof would be available in Germany, Elon Musk replied “...hopefully next year”, which would roughly translate to 2022. That is certainly good news for future potential users-customers in Germany and Europe in general, as solar panels could be one of the best energy decisions that one can make.

Tesla solar roof and panels basically pay for themselves: Tesla states that this system produces 25-32 kWh per day, which, at the current rate, is $3.21-$4.10 per day. If the rate stays constant, the system will pay for itself in roughly 8 -12 years, but it depends on many different parameters, like location, utility prices, etc. (pricing is different on a state-by-state basis, and will be obviously different in Germany).

After Tesla installs your solar system, you will still be connected to the grid and have an account with your electric utility provider. Your rate plan may change post-installation as required by your utility provider. Solar can greatly reduce your electric bill, but you will often still have a residual bill. Elon Musk said a while ago:

If you truly want to commit to a fully sustainable and clean way of living, solar panels are a no-brainer - it's no wonder why Elon Musk expanded Tesla into the solar and energy storage market. In Musk's perfect world, electric cars would be able to get their energy from the sun (or other renewable energy sources) and never have to rely on the existing electric grid. And, by coupling solar with a Powerwall that stores your surplus energy, you'll be able to use your energy in times when your solar panels aren't able to capture direct sunlight, such as at night. According to Jakob Steinschaden (www.trendingtopics.eu), “...Tesla has now become an electricity provider in Germany. Green electricity, of course. The offer starts first in the two southern federal states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg and is specifically aimed at a small but growing target group: those people who have a power wall from the US company and a solar system at home.”

He also mentioned that “...Tesla is implementing the green electricity tariff, which is soon to be offered throughout Germany, with the British energy company Octopus Energy, which was launched in 2015, has since expanded to Germany, Australia, Japan, New Zealand and the USA and is among the 25 fastest growing companies in Europe in 2021.”

“The Tesla electricity tariff for Powerwall owners provides you with inexpensive green electricity if the electricity you generate yourself is not enough,” says Octopus Energy. Or to put it another way: The electricity tariff should ensure that the expensive investment in a Powerwall electricity storage system for the home pays for itself more quickly. Specifically, the tariff is only available for owners of a Tesla Powerwall 2 that is used at home to store solar or grid power. This, including the supporting hardware, costs around 9,600 euros (11,104 US Dollars).
Tesla had applied for a solar roof tiles patent in Europe back in June 2020, hinting at international energy expansion. The patent Tesla filed for Europe was registered under number EP3656053 and was titled "Packaging for Solar Roof Tiles."

The abstract of the patent reads as follows: "One embodiment provides a solar roof tile module. The module includes a plurality of solar roof tiles positioned side by side and one or more tile spacers. The tiles are electrically and mechanically coupled to each other. A tile spacer is positioned between two adjacent solar roof tiles, thereby preventing water leakage. A solar roof tile can include a front cover, a back cover, and a plurality of photovoltaic strips positioned between the front and back covers. Each photovoltaic strip includes a first edge busbar located on an edge of a first surface and a second edge busbar located on an opposite edge of a second surface, and the photovoltaic strips are arranged in such a way that the first edge busbar of a photovoltaic strip overlaps with a second edge busbar of an adjacent photovoltaic strip, thereby forming a serial connection among the photovoltaic strips."

The European patent was identical - or at least similar to - the one Tesla filed in the United States under the same title. The Solar Roof tiles patent filed in the US received the publication number US2019/0028055 A1. It was published on January 24, 2019.

Nico Caballero is the VP of Finance of Cogency Power, specializing in solar energy. He also holds a Diploma in Electric Cars from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, and enjoys doing research about Tesla and EV batteries. He can be reached at @NicoTorqueNews on Twitter. Nico covers Tesla and electric vehicle latest happenings at Torque News.