Although it is an idea that has already been given up on by Dow Chemical earlier this year, Tesla co-founder, Elon Musk, and SolarCity intend to create the “world’s only vertically integrated sustainable energy company.” The $2.6 billion deal has just been made that has seen Tesla purchase solar power company, SolarCity. Their plan will be to produce photovoltaic material roofs.
The deal looks to combine the solar panel roofs with Tesla’s PowerWall home batteries and hope to release two new solar roof products by the end of this year. For Musk, the vision is simply to make Tesla a one-stop-shop for clean energy products, including its batteries and electric cars. These solar panel roofs would be a great option for those who are looking to replace their existing roof. There are suggested to be around 5 million new roofs installed every year. Many of the roofs in the United States are made of asphalt which can be difficult to replace and soak up a lot of heat.
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If people are looking to replace their roof and want a renewable energy source, this would be a great solution for them. Solar panels now power over 1 million households in the United States, and the Obama administration is looking to increase that further by announcing an initiative that will see one gigawatt of solar energy to low-income homes by 2020. It would take less than 1 percent of the United States’ land mass to power the whole country via PV panels.
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These solar panel roofs would certainly help towards achieving the targets set out in the Paris agreement last year. However, this is still only a small drop in the ocean to meet the ambitious goals. Although cutting the emission levels is great, there is still a long way to go. The carbon dioxide that is captured still needs to be removed from the atmosphere and stored safely underground to experience its true effects.
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