Elon Musk wants SolarCity to build "solar roofs" as Tesla CEO eyes takeover
Picture a rooftop gleaming with dark blue rectangles. It isn’t
covered with solar panels — instead it’s made from solar shingles that
both protect the home and produce clean power all at once.
SolarCity, the California solar installer backed by Elon Musk,
unveiled a plan this week to make and sell these “solar roof” modules at
its $750 million manufacturing plant in Buffalo, New York.
“It’s not a thing on the roof. It is the roof,” Musk explained during
SolarCity’s quarterly earnings call on Tuesday. “I think people are
going to be really excited about what they see.”
Musk is SolarCity’s chairman and top shareholder as well as CEO of
Tesla Motors. He recently proposed combining his electric-car and
solar-energy businesses to transform Tesla into a clean energy powerhouse.
