Tesla Solar Roof vs. Solar Panels (2026): What Florida Homeowners Should Do Now

Can you still get a Tesla Solar Roof in 2026?

Not as a new order. In August 2026 Tesla told its certified installers it would stop supplying Solar Roof tiles and supply only solar panels, and tesla.com/solarroof now redirects to its solar panel page [1] [5]. Some installers are finishing jobs from leftover stock [2], so for most Florida homes the real choice is panels on a sound roof, a new roof plus panels, or another maker's solar shingles.

This post replaces our two older Solar Roof comparisons, which were written when the product was still for sale. The question has changed. It is no longer "tiles or panels?" It is "what is the best way to put solar on my roof now, and what if I already own a Solar Roof?"

Below you can put four different solar roofs on the same house, pull a roof apart layer by layer, check your roof's age against a panel warranty, and answer four questions to see which path fits your home. Every claim links to a source. It is general information, not engineering, insurance or tax advice.

Four roofs, one house: tap to compare

Same house, same light, four answers. Photos are illustrations, not a specific product. Power figures are our arithmetic from the manufacturers' data sheets [6] [7].

What happened to the Tesla Solar Roof

1. 2016Tesla unveils the Solar Roof, weeks before shareholders approve its purchase of SolarCity [1].
2. 2019Version three of the tile launches. Tesla aims for 1,000 installs a week [2].
3. 2021Tesla sharply raises Solar Roof prices, in some cases after customers had signed [1].
4. 2022Installs run at roughly 20 to 40 a week, far short of the goal [2].
5. 2023Tesla settles the price increase class action for $6 million [1].
6. 2024Tesla stops breaking out solar deployment figures in its quarterly reports [1] [3].
7. Aug 2026Installers are told the tiles can no longer be ordered. Tesla now supplies only solar panels [1].

Swipe the timeline. Tesla has not made a public announcement. The reporting comes from installers and from Tesla's own website, where the Solar Roof page and its support pages now redirect to solar panels [1] [2] [5].

Why it ended comes down to cost and complexity. The tiles were unique to one system, so Tesla built its own manufacturing for a product that never sold at volume [2]. Installers describe a rack-mounted panel system as about a two-day job, while a Solar Roof could take two weeks or longer [3]. Reporters also point to heat: panels sit on rails with an air gap under them, while the tiles had a much smaller gap, which may have cost them output [2].

None of that is a verdict on rooftop solar. Panels on a roof are a different product with a different cost story, and it is the one Tesla itself now sells [1].

Panels vs. solar shingles, by the numbers

Here is how a current all-black panel compares with a current solar shingle, using each maker's published data sheet. We use the Qcells Q.TRON line because Qcells panels are what the systems we offer use.

	Solar panel (Qcells Q.TRON BLK M-G2+)	Solar shingle (GAF Timberline Solar ES 2)
Power per piece	415 to 440 W per panel [6]	57 W per energy shingle [7]
Power per square foot	About 21 W per sq ft of panel (our arithmetic)	About 17 W per sq ft of roof (1.7 kW per 100 sq ft) [7]
Loss in heat	0.30% per °C above 25°C [6]	0.35% per °C above 25°C [7]
Warranty	25 years product, 25 years power (at least 90.58% at year 25) [6]	See the maker's limited warranty; hail damage is not covered [7]
Wind and fire	Frame tested to a 3,600 Pa pull load; the mounting is engineered for your site's wind [6] [8]	ASTM D3161 Class F wind, UL 790 Class A fire [7]
Florida approval	Mounts and attachments need Florida product approval [9]	Florida Product Approval FL41599, Miami-Dade NOA 25-0204.03 [7]
Roof	Goes on most sound roofs; comes off for a reroof	Is the roof; installed only with new or replacement roofing [7]

Two things stand out for Florida. First, panels make more power from the same roof area, which matters on a hip roof with limited south and west faces. Second, heat costs both of them output, and Florida roofs run hot. For every 10°C above test temperature, the panel above gives up about 3.0% of its power and the shingle about 3.5% [6] [7].

Inside the roof: pull the layers apart

Flip the switch to see each assembly come apart. Panels add layers on top of a roof that keeps doing its job. Solar shingles replace part of the roof covering itself, which is why they only make sense when the roof is being replaced anyway.

Florida's building code treats them differently, too. Rooftop panels must be designed for wind loads under ASCE 7 and carry the same fire rating the roof needs. Solar shingles count as a roof covering and must pass the same wind tests as shingles [8].

In a hurricane: what holds solar on a Florida roof

• The design. Rooftop panels are engineered for the wind loads at your address, which in Florida depend on the county, the exposure and the building [8].
• The attachment. Palm Beach County's code advisory board says only attachments into rafters or trusses have been validated for its design wind loads, and that deck-only attachment lacked the data [9].
• The paperwork. Mounting parts are a product category that needs a current Florida approval or equivalent evaluation report [9]. Ask for it.
• Metal roofs. Seam clamps grip the roof's raised seams with no holes through the metal, and at least one rail-less metal roof mount has Florida approval for high-wind areas [20].

For how panels and batteries do through a whole storm season, see do solar panels work in a hurricane?

Your roof's age decides the order

Tap your roof's age. The roof bar assumes about 20 years for an asphalt shingle roof [17]; metal and tile roofs last longer. Panel warranty from the Qcells data sheet [6]. This is a rule of thumb, not an inspection.

The order matters because panels outlive most shingle roofs. Lifting an array off for a reroof and putting it back is a separate job with its own price, and the system is offline while it is done. Ask any installer to put that cost in writing up front.

Already have a Tesla Solar Roof?

The product is discontinued, but installed roofs are not orphaned overnight. Tesla's specification gives the roof a 25-year warranty against defects and weatherization and a 25-year power output warranty [4]. Contractors say Tesla has told them it will keep supporting existing systems, though some are less sure about replacement tiles years from now [3].

• Find your paperwork. The warranty, the permit, the as-built drawings and the installer's name. Put them with your home records.
• Keep the app connected. A clean production history is what proves a drop in output if you ever need a warranty claim.
• Ask for answers in writing. If something is wrong, open the request with Tesla and keep the replies.
• Know who can service it. Contractors say Solar Roof systems are harder to troubleshoot than panels because of the number of connections [3]. Find a local contractor willing to work on it now, not after a storm.
• After a storm. Have the roof inspected like any roof. Do not walk on it, and do not let anyone remove tiles who is not trained on the system.

Costs and incentives in 2026

• Panels. Florida installs averaged $2.12 per watt in September 2026, across a typical 14.51 kW system [12]. Your price depends on the roof, the equipment and the design.
• Solar shingles. They are priced as a roof plus solar, so compare them with a new roof plus panels, not with panels alone.
• The federal credit. The residential clean energy credit does not apply to systems paid for after December 31, 2025 [13].
• Florida. Solar on a home does not raise its assessed value for property tax [15], and solar energy systems are exempt from sales tax [16].
• Your HOA. An HOA cannot ban solar. It can choose where on the roof it goes, within 45 degrees of due south, as long as that does not impair the system's performance [14].

Nova Structa does not provide tax advice. Tax rules and incentives change and depend on your situation, so check with a qualified tax professional.

Which path fits your home?

Tap one answer per question. The result is a starting point for a conversation, not a design.

What we install now

The panels in the systems we offer are Qcells. Qcells builds panels in Dalton, Georgia, which it expanded to more than 5.1 GW a year in 2023 [10], and in June 2026 began making the solar cells in Cartersville, Georgia, for a total of 8.6 GW a year of Georgia panel capacity [11]. The Q.TRON line used in the comparison above carries 25-year product and power warranties [6].

Most homes pair them with a battery, and Tesla still sells its Powerwall [1]. For how panels and a Powerwall 3 run a Florida home through a day and an outage, read powering your home day and night. For the bigger cost picture, see is solar worth it in Florida in 2026?

The bottom line

The Tesla Solar Roof is no longer something you can order new [1]. For most Florida homes that changes less than it sounds: panels on a sound roof were already the lower cost per watt, they make more power from the same space, and they come off when the roof needs work [6] [7]. If your roof needs replacing, price a new roof plus panels against another maker's solar shingles. If you already own a Solar Roof, gather your paperwork now and keep the app connected.

If you would like someone to look at your roof's age, your bills and what you want running in an outage, see solar systems and Tesla Roof and Powerwalls, or book a free assessment.

Results vary by home, roof, usage, rate plan and installation. Tesla products may be installed by independent Tesla Certified Installer(s), where applicable. Nova Structa coordinates consultations, project review, and customer support, but does not perform installation work. Installations are performed by independent Florida licensed contractor(s). Tesla, Tesla Solar Roof, Powerwall, Qcells, GAF and Timberline Solar are trademarks of their respective owners. Reference to these names is for product identification only and does not imply sponsorship, endorsement, certification, partnership, or affiliation.

Sources

1. Electrek, Fred Lambert, "Tesla discontinues its Solar Roof tiles, not economically viable," August 20, 2026. electrek.co
2. TechCrunch, Tim De Chant, "Tesla's solar roof is dead, here's what went wrong," August 21, 2026. techcrunch.com
3. Roofing Contractor, Tanja Kern, "Tesla Solar Roof Exit Leaves Contractors Facing Costs, Service Questions," September 1, 2026. roofingcontractor.com
4. Tesla, Solar Roof Construction Specification (2025): warranty, fire, wind and impact ratings. energylibrary.tesla.com
5. Tesla, tesla.com/solarroof, which redirects to tesla.com/solarpanels (checked October 8, 2026). tesla.com
6. Qcells, Q.TRON BLK M-G2+ series data sheet, 415 to 440 Wp (Rev04, North America). Qcells data sheet (PDF)
7. GAF Energy, Timberline Solar ES 2 data sheet (SM512, 2026). gaf.com (PDF)
8. FRSA, "Solar Panel Changes in the Florida Building Code 8th Edition (2023)," Sections R324 and R905.16 to R905.17. floridaroof.com
9. Building Code Advisory Board of Palm Beach County, Technical Advisory, "Rooftop Solar PV Mounting Structural Attachments," July 19, 2023. pbcgov.org (PDF)
10. Qcells, "Qcells North America completes Dalton factory expansion," October 18, 2023. us.qcells.com
11. Qcells, "Qcells begins solar cell manufacturing at America's first and only vertically integrated solar factory in Cartersville, Georgia," June 9, 2026. us.qcells.com
12. EnergySage, "Cost of solar panels in Florida," updated September 25, 2026. energysage.com
13. IRS, Instructions for Form 5695 (2025). irs.gov
14. Florida Statutes, Section 163.04, Energy devices based on renewable resources (2026). flsenate.gov
15. Florida Statutes, Section 193.624, Assessment of renewable energy source devices (2026). flsenate.gov
16. Florida Statutes, Section 212.08(7)(hh), Solar energy systems (2026). flsenate.gov
17. National Association of Home Builders, Study of Life Expectancy of Home Components (2007). NAHB (PDF)
18. Florida Statutes, Section 627.7011, Homeowners' policies; roof age (2026). flsenate.gov
19. IBHS, "Building Performance in SW Florida During Hurricane Ian (2022), Part 1: Roof Cover Assessment." ibhs.org
20. pv magazine USA, "Solar metal roof mount approved for Florida hurricane zones," October 14, 2025. pv-magazine-usa.com