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SolarCity gets ready for the Tesla takeover

11 August 2016
Renewables
energynomics

SolarCity Corp. is facing near-term roadblocks as installations slow and the pending acquisition by Tesla Motors Inc. hinders its financing efforts. For billionaire Elon Musk, the long-term picture is more significant, as he rolls out more products and services that will make the biggest U.S. rooftop solar company a key part of his energy strategy, writes Bloomberg.

SolarCity is developing a roofing product that incorporates solar technology and a storage system that uses Tesla batteries at customers’ homes to provide power-management services to utilities. Both will be introduced “in the coming months,” according to a statement.

Musk, the chairman and largest shareholder of Tesla and SolarCity, has touted his vision of a smart home powered by solar panels that charge electric cars. The new products go even further to demonstrate how he plans to fit the companies together, creating an energy company with broad reach that incorporates storage technology to make photovoltaic power a more important part of the grid.

SolarCity’s board agreed Aug. 1 to a reduced offer of $2.6 billion in Tesla shares, a little more than a month after Musk made a $2.8 billion unsolicited offer for the San Mateo, California-based company.

The pending deal delayed some financing deals for SolarCity, reducing its cash by 65 percent.

The deal comes as SolarCity’s growth slows. The company expects to install 170 megawatts of panels in the current quarter, down from 201 megawatts in the second quarter.

Tesla and SolarCity shareholders must approve the deal, which the companies expect to close in the fourth quarter. Neither has set a date for shareholder votes.

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