Pacific Gas & Electric Co. is in the process of shutting off electricity to about 940,000 customers in Northern California — a trend that will continue as it fights wildfires and works to upgrade its network. But just as this effort gets underway, a new one is now beginning — one that capitalizes on the movement to use more onsite generation and distribution.
Specifically, Tesla Corp.’s Chairman Elon Musk said last week during an earnings call that he would introduce the next iteration of “solar roofs” and that such an idea would be the norm within two decades. Most immediately, he expects 1,000 new solar roofs a week: solar tiles are actually the roof, producing electricity and protecting houses at the same time. The underlying message is not just that homeowners can go green but that they can avoid rolling blackouts.
