Tesla Solar Roof is falling behind, but installations are increasing

A new report states that Tesla Solar Roof deployment is way behind the company’s stated goal, but installations are still increasing year-over-year.

When launching the solar roof, CEO Elon Musk presented it as a critical product to accelerate solar power deployment, as it opens up the market to people needing a new roof in the near future, all while delivering a compelling new product.

He said that he aimed for Tesla to produce 1,000 new solar roofs per week by the end of 2019. It was always clear that Tesla was far behind on that goal, but we didn’t know by how much until last year.

The company never released data on its solar roof installations and always included them with its solar panel retrofits, which represent the vast majority of its solar power deployment.

In 2022, Electrek obtained solar roof installations for the first time and confirmed that Tesla deployed 2.5 MW of solar roofs during the second quarter of 2022, or about 23 roofs per week – not even close to its goal.

Now energy research firm Wood Mackenzie has come out with their report tracking Tesla Solar Roof installations, and the report is in line with the data released by Electrek last year.

The firm claims that Tesla has installed “approximately 3,000 solar roofs” in the US since the product’s launch in 2016 for a total capacity of “nearly 30 megawatts.”

The report estimates that Tesla installed about 21 solar roofs per week in 2022.

Nonetheless, solar roof installations have gone up year-over-year:

Max Issokson, research analyst and the author of the report for Wood Mackenzie, commented:

As the residential solar industry continues to grow, solar roofing solutions will play an important role in offering customers flexibility and alternatives to conventional modules. The future potential of Tesla’s Solar Roof will rely on the company’s ability to simplify and streamline installations and tap into a broader customer base.

The report claims that GAF Energy’s Timberline Solar roofing system, which is a nailable product, might be able to take over the lead in solar roofing.

Tesla is trying to expand its reach with its solar products by selling them through third-party solar installers. As of January 2023, the company had 85 partners installing solar roof products.

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