Tesla Solar Roofs Stand Up To Hurricane Ian, Elon Musk Sending Starlink Satellites To Help Florida

Known for its electric vehicles, Tesla Inc TSLA also has a solar power division. Customers who bought solar roofs in Florida might be thanking the company after the lingering damage of Hurricane Ian.

What Happened: Hurricane Ian hit landfall in Florida and has caused severe damage to the region. Benzinga previously reported the impact could be $258 billion in replacement costs in one region and another $149 billion in the area of Tampa Bay.

The impact could be hundreds of millions of dollars for insurance companies as well.

Many homes will need repairs or to be replaced, including damage to roofs from the high winds.

Customers of Tesla solar roofs took to social media to show off the minimal damage Hurricane Ian did to their roofs.

Third party installation company Kelly Roofing shared images on Twitter of solar roofs they installed and how they fared well during the storm. Several of the solar roofs in questions are still functional after the storm hit the region.

“Tesla Solar roof stood up to Hurricane Ian with 155 mph winds and a 10’ storm surge! This Powerwall was underwater for hours and is still working perfectly,” Kelly Roofing tweeted.

Powerwall FTW! https://t.co/GWAaXXCrYv

— Tesla (@Tesla) September 29, 2022

Tesla later shared the tweet and said “Powerwall FTW!.” Tesla CEO Elon Musk liked the tweet by Tesla.

The house in the pictures from Kelly Roofing also has a Tesla Powerwall. The report said the Powerwall was submerged in water for hours, but is still working.

The solar roof and Powerwall working could help the residents of the house return to their home quicker than others that are without power. Over two million people in Florida are without power due to the impact of Hurricane Ian.

Related Link: Could Bill Gates Have Stopped Hurricane Ian? The Machine He Patented To Control Storms 

Why It’s Important: A report from Electrek calls the impact of Hurricane Ian a “real-world extreme weather test” for solar roofs from Tesla.

The pictures and reports from customers could help increase brand awareness for Tesla’s solar roof business and also justify the cost of installing a solar roof as it can save on energy costs over time and also hold up well to storms like Hurricane Ian.

Along with already helping customers who have Tesla solar roofs see less damage to their homes, Musk could be helping other residents of Florida get back to some sense of normalcy.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said SpaceX, a space company led by Musk, is providing Starlink satellite coverage to emergency response crews and residents in regions of Florida.

“They are positioning those Starlink satellites to provide good coverage in southwest Florida and other affected areas,” DeSantis said.

DeSantis told local reporters that 30 Starlink units had already been distributed to residential areas. Another 10 Starlink units were sent to Emergency Operations Centers and first responders. Another 120 Starlink units are expected to be sent to the region to help in search and rescue efforts, DeSantis added.

The Florida governor thanked Musk for providing the satellites and paying for the associated costs for the satellite coverage.

Photo: Courtesy of Tabitha Kaylee Hawk and Steve Jurvetson on flickr and tesla.com