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25 Jul
American technology company Tesla has announced prices for an innovative new product.
The company, best known for its electric vehicles, hopes its long-awaited ‘Solar Roof’ will help to revolutionise the home energy market and make renewables a viable option for more people.
Tesla’s new product is a roof cladding material which doubles as a solar panel. Each unit is manufactured from glass and resembles traditional roofing tiles. Customers can choose tiles which imitate traditional roofing materials like terracotta or slate.
Each glass tile features an internal energy cell which captures light energy and converts it into electricity. That electricity can then be used in the building or routed into the mains.
Whilst Tesla’s new product is an important development in renewable energy at home, its appearance lacks the variation and beauty of naturally-occurring JRC slate.
Slate, when formed naturally, provides a traditional and smart finish to building projects that is also sympathetic to the surrounding landscape. JRC’s natural slate tiles also feature many other advantages over other roofing materials.
Tesla’s Solar Roof product is innovative in its combination of renewable energy technology and roof covering. However, JRC’s slate products are also a greener option than many other coverings.
Much less water is used in the extraction of slate than in materials such as concrete or fibre cement. This saves a huge amount of energy and also reduces run-off with potentially harmful environmental effects.
Additionally, JRC slate is extracted either in the UK or imported from Spain. Many other traditional slate companies import their raw materials from China and other distant countries. This results in our carbon footprint being much less than many of our competitors: an important factor in climate change.
Utilising renewable sources of energy with products like Tesla’s Solar Roof is a positive step towards sustainability. This development is big news in the UK’s roofing industry and everyone here at JRC is excited about what the future holds.
Slate’s advantages as a roofing material will ensure there is always demand. For hundreds of years, roofers and building owners alike have loved slate for its natural beauty and its practicality. That isn’t about to change.
If you’re after one of the eco-friendliest natural roofing materials in the UK today, don’t hesitate to get in touch! You can call us on 01282 423444 or email us at sales@jrcslate.co.uk to find out more.