While Tesla tries to ramp up production of its textured-glass, solar-cell-embedded rooftop tiles, another group of formidable rivals is emerging: roofers.
Tesla Inc. announced in 2016 it would sell solar roof shingles. Since then it has acknowledged it is installing solar roofs at a"slow pace" as it tries to improve its manufacturing capabilities. The Tesla Inc. chief executive may be right — but not in the way he’s expecting. While the automaker tries to ramp up production of its textured-glass, solar-cell-embedded rooftop tiles, another group of formidable rivals is emerging: roofers.
It’s direct competition for Tesla, which until now has been the only major game in town when it comes to solar roofs. Industry stalwarts Sunrun Inc. and Vivint Solar Inc. affix panels atop roofs instead. A move by the construction industry into the solar-roof space challenges a business that Tesla has struggled to get off the ground since ain 2016 — and threatens economics across the rooftop industry as solar customers come cheaper for builders already contracted to install roofs.
GAF isn’t the only roofer expanding into the solar space, either. PetersenDean Roofing & Solar started offering panels five years ago, did 9,800 installations in 2018 and is on pace to double that this year, said Steve Huber, the company’s vice president of consumer sales. Building product supplier Saint-Gobain unit CertainTeed began a solar division in 2010.
Their products aren’t all exactly the same. For example, Tesla’s solar rooftop is a customizable, made-to-order product. GAF makes a one-size-fits-all option that’s ready to install right out of the box. Others affix panels to rooftops with racks and brackets. Builders are expanding into solar just as the industry is preparing for installations to take off. California is
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