https://electrek.co/2023/03/29/tesla-on-the-hunt-electricians-grows-solar-battery-business/
Tesla is on the hunt for a lot of electricians as it grows its solar and battery business after the tax credit was increased to 30% last year.
Tesla’s solar business very much lives in the shadow of its automotive business, but they are highly complementary. If you are driving an electric vehicle, it makes a lot of sense to power it with solar energy.
With changes to the federal tax credit for solar power last year, new installations are now back to receiving a generous 30% credit, which makes it a smart investment for homeowners.
California is a top market for solar thanks to advantageous net metering allowing homeowners to sell their excess solar power back into the grid.
Tesla is trying to take advantage of this momentum in the solar industry to boost its own installations in California, but as it is the case in many industries these days, it is hard to find qualified staff.
Electrek spotted a flurry of new Tesla job postings for licensed electricians in California.
Tesla writes about the job description:
The Licensed Electrician is part of Tesla’s Energy Field Operations team. As a skilled member of the team, the Licensed Electrician will help lead the installations of residential PV solar systems, Solar Roof, battery storage, and EV wall connectors. The ideal candidate will provide electrical expertise that will contribute to the overall success of installing Tesla’s energy products. All necessary training, tools and equipment will be provided, including a company vehicle for some positions.
The company is looking for electricians all over California. Here are some of the locations in the new postings:
On top of electricians, Tesla is also looking for site surveyors, technicians, and advisors for its growing solar business.
As we understand it, Tesla is still figuring out its mix of having its own solar installations and providing its “energy ecosystem” to third-party installers.
I ordered Tesla's solar roof last May, paid the $250 down payment, signed a solar packet for the regulator but I had been stuck on the design phase since then. I reached out to their customer service and the project manager that was being assigned to my project on a monthly basis just want to see what's going on. All I got was that the product was back ordered since there was a major material shortage.
One day in mid-October I got an email from Tesla that said they no longer serve my area, please reach out to a certified installer. They refunded the $250 to me and cancelled my order right away. What's worst was that I went on their website and looked for a list of certified installer. I literally called the first 10 on the list. None of them carry their solar roof. Some said they had a lot of problems with installing and maintaining the solar roof and the company decided to drop the product. One of them suggested me an alternative option which I ended up choosing.
I got a few quotes from a few solar companies (most offered traditional panels and one offered solar roof). The company pulled all necessary permits and finished the entire installation last month. I'm just currently waiting for the final permit to operate from my utility. Just in time for NEM2.0.
I'm glad I didn't end up with Tesla's solar roof because I've heard a lot of terrible stories about them from different installers.
First, Tesla started to provide its Powerwall to third-party installers, then it was the solar roof, and more recently, Tesla even started to provide its solar panels and solar inverter to other installers.
Lately, it seemed like Tesla was more heavily relying on third-party installers, but these new job postings show that the company is still investing on its own installations.
Created by Genetec A baby step | Apr 24, 2024
Created by Genetec A baby step | Feb 29, 2024
Created by Genetec A baby step | Jan 18, 2024
Created by Genetec A baby step | Jan 04, 2024
Created by Genetec A baby step | Dec 12, 2023
Top comment by dun