Wiktor Wise
SolarCity, now Tesla, is America's largest solar power provider. The company was founded in 2006 and acquired by Tesla in 2016. SolarCity provides solar energy generation systems and other related products and services to residential, commercial, and industrial customers. SolarCity customers can track their solar energy production using the MySolarCity mobile application, which provides real-time access to solar monitoring. Additionally, SolarCity offers a web-based simulator application called the SolarCity Simulator, enabling households, businesses, and municipal authorities to evaluate their prospects for generating electricity using rooftop-mounted solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. The simulator provides a means to calculate likely savings from rooftop solar PV compared to other power sources.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| SolarCity Corporation | A publicly traded company headquartered in Fremont, California |
| Date founded | July 4, 2006 |
| Founders | Peter and Lyndon Rive (cousins of SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk) |
| Business | Sold and installed solar energy generation systems and other related products and services to residential, commercial, and industrial customers |
| Business model | "No-money-down solar" where customers paid no upfront costs but agreed to purchase the power generated for 20 years |
| SolarCity Simulator | A web-based application to help households, businesses, and municipal authorities evaluate electricity generation using rooftop-mounted solar PV installations |
| MySolarCity | A mobile app that allows users to track their solar energy production in real time |
| Tesla acquisition | Tesla acquired SolarCity in 2016 for $2.6 billion (equivalent to $3.4 billion in 2024) |
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What You'll Learn
Using the MySolarCity app
SolarCity was acquired by Tesla in 2016, integrating sustainable energy tools and benefits for SolarCity customers.
The MySolarCity app was retired in 2019, and all account and product management now occur through the Tesla Account and Tesla app. To set up your Tesla Account, you need to reset your password using the password reset instructions. If you already have a Tesla login with the same email as your MySolarCity account, you can log in to your existing Tesla Account to see your solar information.
The Tesla app is designed for mobile monitoring. You can view your current and historical energy usage and impact, access and share your referral code, and receive messages and updates via the Tesla inbox. You can also view your solar production, home consumption, and Powerwall use for any historical day, month, or year. You can navigate from day to day or week to week to see your home's solar production over time. You can also export your solar and battery production data. From the Energy Usage page, you can download your own data and send 5-minute power data from the selected period to your computer via airdrop, email, SMS, and other methods.
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Through the SolarCity web application
SolarCity, now Tesla, is a web application provided by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). It enables users to evaluate the prospects for electricity generation using rooftop-mounted solar PV installations. The SolarCity web application combines ultra-high-resolution three-dimensional building footprints with solar irradiation data, computed at a one-metre grid cell level.
The SolarCity web application has several features that allow users to assess their solar energy production. Firstly, it provides a solar calculator that helps users map their roof's solar savings potential and get an estimate of their savings. Secondly, it offers a module for empirical and business assessments of net metering, feed-in tariffs, and storage capabilities. This includes the option to configure storage, allowing users to assess how to live off the grid and be energy self-sufficient when there is excess solar energy.
Additionally, the SolarCity web application provides estimates of carbon dioxide emissions per kWh of electricity generated from combustion systems, considering the carbon footprint of solar photovoltaic panels. All outputs from the SolarCity model can be downloaded by clicking on the 'Get report' icon in the 'Results' section. This includes information such as the amount of electricity used by selected households per year, the price to be paid per kWh of electricity fed into the grid, and CO2 emissions.
To track your solar energy production using the SolarCity web application, you can also use the MySolarCity mobile application. This app provides real-time mobile access to your solar monitoring, allowing you to track your solar energy production from almost anywhere. With the MySolarCity app, you can also share your experience with clean and affordable energy with your friends and family on the go.
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By calculating solar savings with Project Sunroof
Google's Project Sunroof is a free tool that allows users to calculate the benefits of rooftop solar for their homes. It is a solar calculator that uses Google Maps and the Solar API to provide homeowners with detailed information about their rooftop's solar potential. By entering a state, county, city, or zip code, users can see a solar estimate for the area based on usable sunlight and roof space.
Project Sunroof takes into account various factors such as roof size, angle, and shading from nearby buildings or trees to provide highly accurate estimates of a rooftop's solar energy potential. It also integrates local weather data patterns from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to calculate a baseline estimate of a roof's solar potential. With this information, Project Sunroof can model how much sunlight hits the roof throughout the day using 3D geometry.
The platform also offers a cost savings calculator, which helps homeowners understand the financial benefits of installing solar panels. Users can adjust their electric bill details to fine-tune their savings estimate and determine the recommended number of solar panels for their home. Additionally, Project Sunroof provides a list of solar providers and installers in the user's area, making it a comprehensive tool for those considering solar energy for their homes.
While Project Sunroof has improved in accuracy since its launch in 2015, it is important to note that most of the data has not been updated since 2018. As of late 2020, the tool covered over 60 million roofs across all 50 states in the United States, and its coverage is expected to expand further. Users can check if their area is covered before using the tool to estimate their solar savings potential.
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With the Tesla Solar electricity plan
To get started with the Tesla Solar electricity plan, you can schedule a virtual consultation with a Tesla Advisor to learn more and receive a quote for installation. During the consultation, you will need to provide details such as your home address and average monthly electricity consumption.
After installation, you can use the Tesla app to control all the products in your Tesla ecosystem. The app allows you to decide whether to optimize your generated energy for savings, backup protection, or both.
It is worth noting that there have been some negative experiences reported with the Tesla Solar electricity plan, particularly regarding the transfer of ownership and the inability to stop receiving emails about the system after selling a house with a Tesla system installed. However, with half a million solar installations to date, Tesla has a significant presence in the solar energy market.
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Evaluating the SolarCity Simulator
The SolarCity Simulator is a web-based application developed by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) as part of the Global Atlas for Renewable Energy. The simulator is designed to help households, businesses, and municipal authorities evaluate the potential of generating electricity using rooftop-mounted solar photovoltaic (PV) systems.
The simulator combines ultra-high-resolution three-dimensional building footprints with solar irradiation data, computed at one-metre grid cells, to provide accurate assessments. For homes and businesses, the SolarCity Simulator offers a way to calculate potential savings from rooftop solar PV compared to other power sources, based on a cash flow financing model. It also enables users to assess the impact of net metering, feed-in tariffs, and storage capabilities.
The methodology of the SolarCity Simulator can be applied worldwide, particularly in locations with high solar potential that have not yet been fully evaluated. The simulator's first implementations were in the districts of Kasese in Uganda and Chongli in Zhangjiakou, China.
The simulator provides annual average results for PV performance, calculated on an hourly timestamp over a typical meteorological year, to simplify calculations and visuals. It does not currently provide seasonal generation profiles or include the ability to configure storage, but these features are expected to be added in future iterations.
The SolarCity Simulator is a valuable tool for promoting the adoption of renewable energy sources and empowering users to make informed decisions about their energy prospects.
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Frequently asked questions
You can use the MySolarCity app to track your solar energy production in real-time from almost anywhere.
SolarCity Corporation was a publicly traded company headquartered in Fremont, California, that sold and installed solar energy generation systems. The company was acquired by Tesla in 2016 and reorganized into Tesla Energy.
You will need to call Tesla customer care to request a login to monitor your system.
The SolarCity Simulator is a web-based application that helps households and businesses evaluate their savings from rooftop solar PV compared to other power sources.
