While solar roofs are no longer an unusual sight in many parts of the US, on most houses they’ve definitely been added as an afterthought rather than worked into the design of the building. Elon Musk’s company SolarCity aims to change that with a new roof that will be made entirely out of solar cells and integrated with a Tesla backup battery pack to allow homeowners to use solar power even at night.

 

The new product is aimed at customers with older rooftops who may be putting off a solar panel installation due to the time and cost needed for repairs. Instead of waiting for these customers to renovate their home, SolarCity would be able to offer them a completely new roof that’s even more durable than what they had before. While there’s not much information available about the specs yet, we’re eagerly awaiting more details.

 

This announcement also hints at the new direction SolarCity is likely to take as it merges with Musk’s other company, Tesla. Two weeks ago, Musk explained that the new company would be focused on providing “end-to-end clean energy” solutions rather than simply offering solar panels and electric cars. This merger is not expected to impact Tesla’s plans for the upcoming Model 3 or the recently-opened Gigafactory. (inhabitat)