WATCH: Tesla’s solar roof tiles affordable, under warranty forever

ELON Musk announced the opening of orders for Tesla’s solar roof tiles this week on Twitter, which set the clean tech community abuzz.

If that wasn’t exciting enough, the company also announced the surprisingly affordable price of the tiles – at US$21.85 per sq ft – as well as the fact they come with a warranty that lasts “the lifetime of your house, or infinity, whichever comes first”.

Unfortunately, the warranty only applies in the United States, even though Musk said the roof can be ordered for “almost any country”. The tempered glass tiles are said to be three times stronger and more durable than standard roof tiles and Tesla says it will take care of everything – including materials, installation, and the removal of one’s old roof.

Tesla solar glass roof orders open this afternoon. I think it will be great. More in about 10 hours …

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 10, 2017

Solar roof can be ordered for almost any country. Deployment this year in the US and overseas next year.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 10, 2017

Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) had estimated the price of the active solar tiles to reach about US$68 per sq foot, but the cost is significantly lower at US$42 per sq ft. Solar analyst Hugh Bromley was quoted saying the price was “better than everyone expected”.

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The tiles are a step closer to Musk’s dream of a “sustainable energy future”, which he says are a combination of solar power, batteries and electric cars.

“Solar power going to a stationary battery pack so you have power at night, and then charging an electric vehicle … you can scale that to all the world’s demand,” he said.