Tesla CEO Elon Musk thinks you can not only have a better-looking roof but one that produces enough solar power to run both your house and your car.
Well, your car would be included if it is a Tesla electric car.
The precocious Musk unveiled four houses at Universal Studios in Los Angeles at the end of October, all clad in highly stylized shimmering solar shingles. For those of us who couldn’t be there, he filmed the showing and offered the viewing on his website.
Tesla and Panasonic will produce the solar cell shingles at a plant in Buffalo, New York. Musk said the shingles would be priced comparatively to asphalt shingles for a house but will last longer and of course, produce power.
Along with the shingled houses, Musk displayed his newest in-home battery, the Powerwall 2.0 that will sell for $5,500. The battery packs he showed were in garages. Each house had two battery packs, one to store power for the home and one to charge the Tesla car he hopes you will buy. Enough solar energy should be generated from the roof of your house, stated Musk, to run your dishwasher, refrigerator, TV, etc.
When contacted, the company said solar shingles should work in northern climates even in heavy snow years because they were working on a method to melt the snow from the roofs. Remember, all of this is new, so we shall see how they work once production is fully up and running and buildings start using this new technology.
Tesla launched its first in-home battery option, the Powerwall, in 2015. This battery allowed users to store solar energy and use it at night. They can also be hooked up to draw electricity from the solar grid when rates are low.
On November 17 Musk purchased outright the Gigafactory in Nevada. The Gigafactory is where he will make batteries for his Tesla cars, the Powerwall, and the Powerpack, which is a large battery used for commercial operations.
All of this is aimed at making, “solar and storage as compelling as electric vehicles, an achievement that would advance our mission of accelerating the world’s transition to sustainable energy.”
Here’s hoping Musk’s roofing works. Clean energy is the first promise; getting off the grid—or almost getting off the grid—offers high expectations to individuals who want independence from the power companies. . As Christmas nears and thoughts of giving grow, make sure you don’t fall for a scam and give away more than you ever hoped to give.
One scam running its course in central Minnesota is for people to receive a call from someone who says they are from DirecTV. If you have DirecTV, the caller tries to sell you a new product at a high introductory price that will improve your service. During the call, he/ she expects you to give them your financial information so you can get in on the hot new deal. Never give your financial information out to a stranger on the phone. DirecTV, by the way, has no such deal they are selling over the phone.
Scammers love Christmas because people are vulnerable. Don’t fall for a high-pressure sales pitch on the phone. Never give your credit card information via email or by phone. Don’t write checks to an individual who is soliciting door-to-door for a charitable cause unless you know him and the organization or charity your donation is going to.
Charity scams are the worst. Scammers use names that sound like real nonprofit organizations. They know how to make a pitch that will want to make you give something to the starving children, or disabled children, or to people living in poverty, etc. You might feel pressured to give money, but check out the organization first. A genuine caller will encourage you to do that. A scammer will insist on you making a donation n the heat of the moment.
Last but least, if you do make a donation to a charity, make sure to use your credit card and not your debit card. If you use your debit card, it is linked directly to your bank account. If you use your credit card and it is a fraudulent charge, you will be responsible for $50, no more. . Minnesotans like to volunteer; that’s something we see on a daily basis in Cook County.
According to a study released by the Corporation for National & Community Service, Minnesota ranks number two, just behind Utah, in the number hours, we spend volunteering for good causes.
On average Minnesota Volunteers spend 33 hours per year in service, some of its coaching, tutoring, helping at church or school, or participating in a civic minded club like the Lions or Lioness Club.
When it is all added up, Minnesotans volunteer 155 million hours each year, which translates to $3.3 billion in value. While the dollars saved are impressive, remember, when you stop by to visit at a care center or hospital, or lend a hand at school or church, dollars can’t do what you can do when you show someone else that you care. That’s invaluable and not calculable in a financial sense.
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