Tesla Solar Roof helped introduce millions of people to building-integrated photovoltaics, or BIPV: solar that becomes part of the roof itself rather than being installed on top of it.
Nearly a decade after its launch, Tesla has discontinued the Solar Roof. But the end of one solar roofing product doesn’t mean the end of BIPV. Instead, it highlights an important point: not all integrated solar roofs are designed the same way.
At Shift, we’ve taken a different approach with Adra, a premium metal roofing system that integrates proven solar technology directly into the roof to generate clean electricity.
A Different Approach to BIPV
Tesla approached BIPV at the scale of the individual roof tile, using numerous smaller photovoltaic tiles connected together across the roof. Its unique tile format required a specialized approach to manufacturing and installation.
Adra takes a different approach, integrating larger, longer-format solar modules directly into a metal roofing system. The larger format means fewer individual solar components and fewer electrical connections, while maintaining the clean, integrated appearance that makes BIPV so appealing.
Both are forms of BIPV, but their design and system architecture are distinctly different.
Built on Proven Solar Technology
Adra uses conventional photovoltaic cell technology, like that used in traditional solar panels, and incorporates it into larger-format solar roofing modules.
Tesla Solar Roof also used photovoltaic cells, but they had to be configured within its smaller, proprietary tile format. Adra’s larger module design allows proven solar technology to be incorporated directly into the roofing system without recreating solar at the scale of an individual roof tile.
Designed With Airflow in Mind
Temperature is an important consideration for any photovoltaic system. As solar cells get hotter, their electrical output can decrease, making airflow an important part of solar system design.
Adra is installed over strapping that creates an air space beneath the roofing system, allowing air to move underneath and helping manage operating temperatures.
Tesla Solar Roof also incorporated ventilation beneath its tiles, but its air gap was relatively small. Reports of underproduction raised questions about whether higher operating temperatures may have affected performance, although a definitive cause was not established.
For Adra, airflow is considered as part of the overall roofing system from the start, helping support long-term solar performance.
A Metal Roof That Generates Electricity
A BIPV system has two important jobs: generate electricity and protect the building beneath it.
Adra brings those two functions together in one system. Solarized and non-solarized roofing panels work together to create a cohesive architectural finish, with solar incorporated where it makes sense for the design and energy needs of the project.
Built for long-term durability, Adra has been tested to withstand harsh weather conditions, including wind, hail, rain, snow, and ice.
At its core, Adra is a premium metal roof that happens to generate electricity.
The Future of BIPV Goes Beyond Solar Tiles
Tesla Solar Roof deserves credit for helping bring integrated solar roofing into the mainstream conversation. It challenged the idea that solar always had to be something added on top of a finished roof and helped people imagine energy generation as part of a building’s architecture.
That idea isn’t going away.
BIPV is a broad category, with different approaches to how solar and roofing can work together. Adra represents a distinctly different approach: larger-format solar modules, fewer electrical connections, effective ventilation, proven photovoltaic technology, and a metal roofing system designed to bring it all together.
The future of BIPV isn’t about reinventing everything we know about solar or roofing. It’s about designing the two to work better together.
Source: TechCrunch, “Tesla’s Solar Roof Is Dead. Here’s What Went Wrong,” August 21, 2026.