Tesla chief Elon Musk bullish on solar energy furture

That Tesla chief Elon Musk is betting heavily on solar as the energy of the future became clear at a press event on Friday at Universal Studios, as customers got a glimpse of an integrated solar roofing solution that would combine Tesla and SolarCity technologies.

"[I'm] quite confident [that] over time, if it's done right, every roof will be solar," Musk said.

Surrounded on both sides by Hollywood sets, Musk, along with executives from SolarCity, revealed the look of the solar roofs, which he promised would be more efficient and longer lasting than conventional roof tiles.

Each of the four sets of homes that were on display had been fitted with solar roofs, comprising glass tiles embedded with solar cells. They had been redone over the course of two weeks, and according to Musk, would be functional enough to run.

The roofs offered no clue as to the fact that they were solar roofs as panels tended to be bulky and unsightly. But the roofs, which would be installed by Tesla and Solar City, starting in the summer of next year would feature four different styles (Textured Glass Tile, Slate Glass Tile, Tuscan Glass Tile, and Smooth Glass Tile).

According to Musk, the roofs were designed, with aesthetics as a priority.

Commentators point out that the idea behind this roof was not entirely a new one and solar shingles first hit the market in 2005. Those were not as elegant as Musk demonstrated on Friday, and their high cost relative to ordinary solar panels had not done much for their market presence.

The reasons why Tesla / SolarCity might succeed where others had not been able to make much headway was that they had direct sales efforts where they operated and handled everything right up to installation.