Panasonic-Made Low-Profile Solar Panels Unveiled by Tesla

Tesla has unveiled the latest product manufactured from their ‘Gigafactory 2’ in Buffalo, featuring sleek, low-profile solar panels as part of their deal with Panasonic. Unlike the Tesla roof tiles which replace existing conventional roof tile products, these low-profile solar panels are meant to install on top of homes with little effort.

Panasonic, who has acquired Sanyo more than seven years ago has utilized that company’s battery technology and expanded it to become a leader in the field. The deal with Tesla also also includes being the exclusive supplier to Tesla’s SolarCity and exclusive use of the Gigafactory 2. Before Tesla’s acquisition, SolarCity like most other installers, used solar panels from several different suppliers, so this means big profits for Panasonic. Full production will begin in summer 2017 and will be used for all new residential projects going forward.

The new low-profile Panasonic panels are part of Elon Musk’s plan to offer more aesthetically palatable solar panel options in the market. The sleek look also differentiates Tesla solar panels from all of the other competitors an is achieved by integrating front skirts and hiding all mounting hardware.

This low-profile mounting system has been developed by Zep Solar, a mounting equipment company acquired by SolarCity even before they got involved with Tesla. Zep Solar’s engineering team is also responsible for the “rail-less” rapid deployment system that has managed to cut SolarCity’s installation time in half.