Tesla launches solar rental service – solar panel system for $50 per month | Hacker News Reader

Tesla launches solar rental service – solar panel system for $50 per month

electrek.co

21 pointsvezycash13 comments

The solar install industry is going to "DIY". The do it yourself is going to happen when people realize they are getting duped into 20k contracts for a few thousand worth of equipment.

The problem isn't the equipment, but all the crap you have to go through to install it. In most areas, you need to:

- get building permit (requires a general contractor to sign off) - get electrical company to approve connection of your panels to the grid - install the panels (heavy) without compromising the integrity of your roof - get an electrician to sign off on electrical work and connect to the grid

The solar installer takes care of all of that for you and gets it installed quickly.

I've looked into it myself, and the cost for all of the equipment is ~$7k, while the best quote I got from an installer was ~$20k. I think a lot more people would DIY if it wasn't so difficult to do it legally.

If you DIY it without all the permits, the chances of getting caught is very low. The only reason to do the paperwork is if you want to sell your house before the solar tech becomes obsolete.

I'm kind of astonished that they're trying to bring SolarCity back from the dead after so long. I guess they must have finally got some contracts with energy companies sorted to make this viable - because let's face it, funding solar installations with junk bonds and then selling the electricity seems like quite a capital intensive project for a company that is already capital intensive.

Pay for 1 months rental, cancel service.

Still get all your neighbours thinking you're green for just $50...

HAHA if you cancel you have to pay 1500 $

I thought you could cancel but not have them removed from your roof.

I couldn't find this offering on Tesla's website.

I found this in the FAQ: https://www.tesla.com/support/energy/solar-panels/learn/rent...

I couldn't find anywhere to sign up though.

It seems like it might be guerilla marketing rather than an actual product...

It is available in few states as of now. Going here and choose california https://www.tesla.com/solarpanels

How can this product be economically viable for Tesla?

They have deals with the power company for frequency regulation or some other high value service I would guess. That's why only certain electricity companies are allowed.

I bet the homeowner gets a reduction in their bill on the basis of total kWh per month, but Tesla is participating in the local energy market on an hour by hour basis, earning far more money in the afternoon "peak AC" hours.

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