One word is – wow!
Marques Brownlee, a prominent figure in the tech ecosystem known for his unbiased reviews and with over 17 million subscribers on YouTube, recently shared a video documenting his one-year experience with his Tesla Solar Roof. In the video, he takes us on a 30-minute journey, detailing his entire technology-filled home that is powered entirely by solar energy. We were thrilled to learn about his solar-powered setup, and here’s a breakdown of our thoughts as we followed along his experience.
- Solar panels are not the only way to go solar
Solar tiles have gained popularity in recent times as not everyone finds panels as aesthetically pleasing. Also, the tiles provide much more roof coverage so can produce more energy. His roof provided a whopping 29kW and his 3 lithium-ion batteries that stored up to 40kWh. After having the setup for a full year throughout all the seasons, glad to hear he is still happy with them.
- The connectivity of things
He intentionally chose a solar system that could easily communicate with one another for the most seamless experience. Tesla is one of the most notable players in the space, so seeing the beautiful detail in real time really made me understand why people view Tesla as the idan of solar!
- The environment for solar to thrive
In our African context, the main reason that we get solar is because of the unreliable grid and the cost savings. It also is a no-brainer here because we have so much sun – in fact – too much sun! I was surprised when he said even in New Jersey, USA they also experience grid blackouts. Imagining Americans saying “up NEPA” was funny. He explained how the increasing pressure on the grid causes it to collapse sometimes, which absolutely makes sense. With Nigeria’s rapidly growing population and us being more technologically advanced, we can expect more significant strain on our grid.
- Net metering helped A LOT
We will definitely make a whole other post about net metering but being able to sell excess electricity back to the grid is an absolute game changer the world over. Additionally, he also got a hefty tax credit from the government that is incentivising homeowners to go solar.
- Solar to charge an electric vehicle (EV)
He shows that it is okay to learn as you go! He learnt that his EV was the biggest drain on his energy by far and learnt other hacks to maximise his setup. Many EV cynics are discouraged when owners don’t use renewables to charge their cars as they seem to believe it defeats the purpose. Whilst I don’t agree with that sentiment, it was great to see this use case play out.
What did you think of the video? How close are we in Nigeria to switching out panels for tiles? Let us know in the comments!