US electric vehicle and energy storage technology manufacturer Tesla Motors has given details of a new rooftop solar energy generation product, to be made in conjunction with Japanese electronics company Panasonic.
The product, which will be made of textured glass and will replicate other materials such as slate or clay tiles, is expected to be manufactured by Panasonic at a new facility in Buffalo, New York state, from 2017. The tiles will contain photovoltaic elements and a heating element to melt snow in colder climates, potentially allowing it to extend generation time.
Photovoltaic generation cells are significant consumers of minor metals such as silicon, indium, gallium and selenium.
Panasonic said today it had revised down its profit outlook for 2016 to ¥245bn ($2.3bn) from ¥310bn, because it could potentially bring forward its planned $1.6bn investment in the joint venture should Tesla's acquisition of US solar photovoltaic installer Solarcity go through. The manufacture of the new technology would be in addition to an existing agreement on grid storage technology and batteries for Tesla's electric vehicles.
Tesla also announced the latest model of its lithium-ion Powerwall home battery system, which is intended to work in conjunction with rooftop generation to power homes and potentially recharge electric vehicles.
