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Sounds great, I'd like to see the assumptions in the financial model that show how it is cheaper than conventional roofing material.

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Note that what he said is that the solar roof plus the electricity that it generates is cheaper than a conventional roof. The up-front cost is higher for the solar roof.

So, yes, there are assumptions in there: how much power can be generated, how valuable will it be 10 years from now, etc.

You also now get a 30 percent tax credit to replace your roof. Before, you'd be entirely out of pocket for the roof, separate from the solar install.

This is big. My roof cost nearly double what my solar installs did, and getting the tax credit on the roof might have paid for the additional cost of the solar tiles over standing seam metal. (Not that I don't love the metal; it's awesome.)

It's difficult to beat the cost of the usual raw materials, so they need to exceptionally long lifetimes.

edit: even with the cost savings from power generation, the roof itself needs to last forever.

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