Tesla-powered homes promise to keep the lights on in outage-prone Houston— but it comes with cons, too
A new development of 11 three-story detached townhomes in Houston holds the promise of energy self-sufficiency in a city where power can be unreliable. Each three-bedroom home is equipped with Tesla solar roofs and batteries.
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It's the first of its kind in the U.S. — and the builder is promising that 'if the power ever goes out in Houston, for whatever reason, they've got you covered,' according to KHOU 11 reporter Ron Treviño.
Texas is the only state that isn't part of the national power grid. Rather, it has its own power grid — but that means, if anything goes wrong, it can't draw on power from elsewhere.
Couple this with an aging infrastructure and a propensity to be hit with severe weather events, and this leads to frequent blackouts that last days or longer. In fact, Texas experienced 210 weather-related outages between 2000 and 2023 — more than any other state, according to Climate Central.
'Because our power grid is so terrible and we lose power for days on end, we have people that have lost all their groceries,' Jaime Fallon, director of sales with NextGen Real Estate, told KHOU 11.
How solar homes are tackling power outages
The Oaks of Shady Acres offers energy self-sufficiency with Tesla solar shingles. These solar shingles work with Tesla's Powerwall home battery storage to make the homes self-sufficient. The homes also come with electric vehicle chargers.
'Residents benefit from free, clean energy while also profiting from surplus power sold back to the grid,' said a sponsored article about the project.
As of late last month, five homes were still up for sale. Fallon claims that although the builder, Utopia Homes, is using Tesla technology, the backlash against Tesla CEO Elon Musk is not hurting demand. Utopia is a subsidiary of Goldman Investments, which calls Tesla a partner on its website.
'We have honestly had no issues with Trump and Musk backlash. In fact, I had over 150-plus people at my brokers' open. It was insane, people were very excited. Houston is an oil and gas place, so having the first Tesla-powered homes is unheard of,' Fallon told Realtor.com. She said buyers are mostly interested in reliable power.
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Elon Musk's feud with Donald Trump is hugely damaging to Tesla but don't expect any action from the board
How should a corporate board respond to a CEO publicly insulting and shaming a sitting president? It's not a question that most need to consider, since few chief executives dare to directly criticize the White House. When CEOs do speak out against a federal directive, their messages are usually delivered behind closed doors, or in a collective open letter. But this week, Elon Musk changed all that and forced the issue in a prolonged public spat with Donald Trump. The pair had a much-anticipated falling out over Trump's budget, also referred to as the 'big beautiful bill,' on Thursday, which quickly got personal. Musk asked his social media followers if it was time to create a new political party, said that Trump's tariffs would cause a recession, and even claimed that Trump's name was in government documents about Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sexual offender. 'That is the real reason they have not been made public,' Musk wrote. The feud has already been costly for Musk and his many businesses, including Tesla. The automaker's shares took a tumble as the back-and-forth took over the news cycle, dropping 14% in on Thursday, and costing shareholders $150 billion. Now analysts warn that feuding with Trump could cost Tesla billions, considering that Trump could repeal electric vehicle tax credits and other measures that have boosted Tesla's earnings. The company could also face increasing regulatory obstacles around its autonomous driving vehicles, the technology that is meant to drive Tesla's future and has been cited by stock watchers as a reason for the stock's sustained eye-popping performance. Tesla bull and Wedbush analyst Dan Ives seemed to speak for investors early on Friday when he wrote in a research note: 'This needs to calm down.' At a regular company, there's a solid chance that the events of the last few days would spur a board to dismiss a CEO. But will the Tesla board fire Musk to protect public shareholders from potential damages? 'They should,' Charles Elson, founding director of the Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance at the University of Delaware, told Fortune. 'But they won't.' The Trump-Musk spat is just the latest in a series of events that have forced the question of what role Tesla's board actually plays in the company. 'Over the years, Musk's behavior has become more outrageous,' says Elson. 'The board's lack of response makes you wonder, 'Who are these people? Why are they there?'' It has long faced criticisms for being too close to Musk, and therefore willing to overlook numerous management issues. For instance, it famously approved Musk's much-disputed 2018 pay package for $56 billion, and has silently witnessed a year of high-profile divisive behavior from the chief executive that has led to public protests and customers distancing themselves from the company. And recent allegations about Musk's drug use echo reports that have surfaced in the past without putting Musk's role at risk. There are a few contributing factors as to why that is. Musk is a controlling shareholder in Tesla, where he holds 22% of the voting power, making it extra challenging for board members to have the votes needed to force him out. The board is also in a tough position in that firing Musk could tank the stock, considering that his name is so closely associated with the company. Many directors also have particularly close ties to Musk. That includes his brother Kimbal Musk, an entrepreneur and restaurant owner, and Joe Gebbia, a cofounder of Airbnb and a friend of Musk's. There are no car industry or green energy CEOs in the group, as one might expect at a typical EV company. The directors are also paid very well. This year, a Delaware court ordered the board to give back more than $900 billion in pay after finding it had paid itself too handsomely. Robyn Denholm, Tesla board chair since 2018, earned $600 million, far more than people with the same position at other companies. The court found 'the compensation was so significant, it made it really almost impossible for them to be independent directors,' says Elson. 'It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends on his not understanding it,' says Nell Minow, a corporate governance expert, quoting Upton Sinclair. 'That's this board.' To be sure, this year, there were signs earlier this year that Tesla's directors were taking more control over the company's governance. Last month, the Wall Street Journal reported last month that the board had begun looking for a successor and selected a search firm to assist them. It also reported that the board had met with Trump weeks before he announced he would be spending less time at the White House. It seemed that between the backlash against Tesla provoked by Musk's focus on Washington, and Tesla's shrinking share price, finally pushed the board to act. But the board denied the report outright, with Denholm calling it 'absolutely false.' Even considering his own predilection for conflict, Elon Musk's latest squabble is in a category of its own. But board experts agree that to expect action from the Tesla board is misguided. 'There have been so many 'Now the board has to do something moments,' and they have failed every time,' says Minow. 'I no longer feel that there is such a thing as 'Now they have to do something.'' There are technically ways that shareholders could move the needle if they wanted Musk out. They could vote directors off the board via shareholder proxy votes, and hope that new directors would fire Musk. Or they could try to sue the board for not kicking Musk to the curb when he put the brand at risk and split his focus between Washington and Tesla. But a shareholder who wanted to do that would need to own up to a 3% stake in the company, points out Ann Lipton, associate dean for faculty research at Tulane University's Law School, and governance laws make it all but impossible to do. 'No shareholder is going to be able to show that this board is acting in bad faith by failing to replace Musk as CEO, which is really the level that they'd have to show,' she said. It's still theoretically possible that a Tesla board director could try to bring about change by suggesting Musk go. But they would have to make peace with potentially losing their roles, says Elson. 'They would say, 'Look, I will vote to move him along. And if I lose, I leave. I can't do this anymore,'' says Elson. Whether they'll do that depends on whether they're people of principle, he added, or 'people of convenience.''We'll have to see,' he said. 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33 minutes ago
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In Musk v Trump, the markets will win
City AM columnist Rainer Zitelmann has been predicting a rift between Musk and Trump ever since the two started working together. Now that this has happened, the French daily newspaper L'Express has spoken to him again. The interview was conducted by Thomas Mahler. 'I never believed that the alliance between Elon Musk and Donald Trump would last,' you told L'Express in April. Why were you so certain that the alliance between the two men would fall apart so quickly? I have read every single biography about these two men and have been following their exploits closely for many years. Trump only tolerates people who completely subordinate themselves to him, whereas Musk won't bow to anyone. And especially not to someone he is so superior to both in terms of intelligence and as an entrepreneur. This is something I have stated on numerous occasions, including in an interview with L'Express in April. On top of that, Trump is not an advocate of economic freedom, his only two convictions are these: he is the greatest and should be all-powerful, and that tariffs are amazing. Trump thinks that tariff is the most beautiful word in the dictionary (which, by the way, is just as absurd as saying that taxes are the most wonderful word in the dictionary). Musk, in contrast, is in many ways a libertarian – he hates high taxes, tariffs, and excessive federal spending that ramp up U.S. debt. Tesla shares fell again after Musk's criticism of Trump's tax bill, and Trump threatened to cut public funding for SpaceX. As an entrepreneur, did Musk lose a lot with his political adventure? That may be the case – but no one can say for sure just yet. I admire Musk, he is driven by deep personal convictions and has consistently taken huge risks throughout his career. So far, those risks have always paid off. Whether Musk will prevail against Trump is debatable, because while Musk is a far superior entrepreneur, Trump outguns Musk in the field of political communication. If Musk were as politically desperate as Trump, he would go to China, which would quickly become the most successful nation in space exploration. If the European Union was not so stupid, it would offer Musk the opportunity to bring SpaceX to Europe on excellent terms. What would be the consequences for the US if they lose SpaceX? Without SpaceX, the US does not currently have much to offer. Prior to SpaceX, they couldn't even transport their own astronauts to the International Space Station and had to rely on outdated Russian rockets – and paid exorbitant prices to do so. In 2024, there were 134 SpaceX launches out of 261 space missions worldwide. If SpaceX were a country, it would easily surpass the second-largest, China, which had 68 launches. Notably, SpaceX is responsible for 86% of all U.S. launches and has delivered more than 80% of the world's total payload weight into orbit and beyond. Incidentally, there were just three launches in Europe. According to you, was Musk right to call Trump's funding bill a 'disgusting abomination'? Absolutely. Not because of the tax cuts – they're the right thing to do! But because Trump has thrown his weight behind a budget that dramatically exacerbates the national debt. Trump's funding bill is a continuation of the insane debt-fueled policies of Obama, Biden, and Trump's first term in office. Consequently, the US is spending more and more on interest payments. Musk must be deeply frustrated: he's neglected his companies for months to help the US government do something it is completely incapable of – namely, reducing the national debt, even just slightly, through the DOGE initiative. And then Trump turns around and backs legislation that does the exact opposite, massively expanding an already astronomical debt mountain. Does this mean that Trump will go even further in his obsessions for protectionism or immigration? Did the MAGA movement and Steve Bannon win the fight inside the Republican camp? It's too early to tell. But if Bannon did come out on top, it would be a disaster for the United States. Musk believes in political and economic freedom. Bannon, at heart, is a right-wing anti-capitalist. Are you worried about the US economy? Absolutely. Trump has promised the American people that his protectionist policies will bring about a new 'Golden Age.' That's complete nonsense. No country has ever become wealthy through protectionism – but many have become poor because of it. A hundred years ago, Argentina was as rich as the U.S., and then, over decades, Peronists drove it into poverty with their protectionist policies. My only hope lies in the capital markets – the stock and bond markets. If anyone can force Trump to change course, it will be the financial markets. I hope the markets prove to be stronger than Trump. Dr Rainer Zitelmann is a German historian, sociologist and author. His latest book is 'The Origins of Poverty and Wealth' Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
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These are the 5 most popular Stocks and Shares ISA investments right now!
Investing in a Stocks and Shares ISA continues to be one of the best tax-efficient ways for UK investors to build wealth. But a recurring challenge is deciding which companies to buy shares in. Fortunately, with insights from Hargreaves Lansdown, we can see exactly which stocks are proving to be the most popular. And right now, the top five are: Nvidia Rolls-Royce Holdings Tesla MicroStrategy Glencore (LSE:GLEN) Given these stocks must be popular for a good reason, should investors simply be following the crowd and snapping up shares themselves? Of course not! In the stock market, popularity rarely results in market-beating returns. This is largely because by the time a stock has become popular, most of the unrealised gains have already been baked into the share price. However, that doesn't mean these are necessarily bad businesses. Blindly following the fact is likely going to end in disappointment. However, researching further could reveal interesting opportunities for the future once the hype dies down and a potentially more attractive price emerges. Let's zoom in on Glencore. The mining giant has had quite a rough ride lately, with its share price tumbling by over 40% in the last 12 months. However since April, the stock has finally started slowly moving back in the right direction. This change in attitude comes on the back of the group's first-quarter production report for 2025. While copper production levels have kicked off slowly, management expects this to improve drastically throughout the rest of the year. At the same time, cobalt production – a critical ingredient for lithium-ion batteries – has surged by 44%. And thanks to the group's 2024 Elk Valley Resources acquisition, steelmaking coal production skyrocketed by almost 500%! These gains are being offset by lower production volumes of gold, silver, nickel and, as previously mentioned, copper. However, despite these headwinds, management's reiterated its full-year guidance. Glencore produces critical metals and materials for high-demand technologies such as electric vehicles, data centres, industrial infrastructure, and renewable energy. And this reassertion of targets, along with the stock's low price point, seems to have sparked some early recovery excitement from investors. So much so that analyst consensus is currently projecting a potential 40% share price gain over the next 12 months. However, while this may indeed be a valuable opportunity. There are still some notable risks that investors must consider beyond commodity price fluctuations. ESG investors are hardly fond of management's move to bolster its coal mining operations in the takeover of Elk Valley Resources, opening the door to reputational risk. At the same time, China remains one of Glencore's key customer markets. Should the tariff dispute between the US and China continue, a resulting economic slowdown (particularly in electronics) could adversely impact Glencore's revenue and earnings. The latter risk seems to be the biggest threat right now, in my opinion. And while investing early during a recovery story can be lucrative, it's possible we haven't seen the bottom yet. Therefore, while international trade disputes between the US and China continue, this isn't a stock I'm rushing to add to my Stocks and Shares ISA, even though it's seemingly a popular investment right now. As for the other businesses on this list, research and due diligence are critical to understanding both the risks and potential rewards. The post These are the 5 most popular Stocks and Shares ISA investments right now! appeared first on The Motley Fool UK. More reading 5 Stocks For Trying To Build Wealth After 50 One Top Growth Stock from the Motley Fool Zaven Boyrazian has no position in any of the shares mentioned. The Motley Fool UK has recommended Nvidia, Rolls-Royce Plc, and Tesla. Views expressed on the companies mentioned in this article are those of the writer and therefore may differ from the official recommendations we make in our subscription services such as Share Advisor, Hidden Winners and Pro. Here at The Motley Fool we believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. Motley Fool UK 2025
