--- title: "Walmart Sues Tesla, Claims Solar Panels Are Setting Fire to Stores" description: "Retail giant Walmart is suing Tesla, claiming that the company's solar panels ignited seven of its stores' roofs, CNBC reports." date: "2019-08-21" modified: "2019-08-21" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/walmart-sues-tesla-solar-panels" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Energy" - "Renewable Energy" - "Science & Energy" - "Solar Power" - "Tesla" tags: - "elon musk" - "solar panels" - "tesla" - "the digest" --- # Walmart Sues Tesla, Claims Solar Panels Are Setting Fire to Stores ![Retail giant Walmart is suing Tesla, claiming that the company's solar panels ignited seven of its stores' roofs, CNBC reports.]() *\Image: Victor Tangermann\* ## Gross Negligence Sorry, Elon Musk. 2019 might not be ["the year of the solar roof"]() after all. Retail giant Walmart is suing Tesla, claiming that its solar panels ignited seven of its stores' roofs, [*CNBC* reports](). The suit alleges that Tesla failed to live up to industry standards, amounting to breach of contract and gross negligence. According to [the lawsuit]() that was filed in New York state, "Tesla routinely deployed individuals to inspect the solar systems who lacked basic solar training and knowledge." ## Ground Control The suit also suggests that Tesla didn't ground its solar panels properly at Walmart's stores, which may have caused the fires. "The number of defects, however, is overwhelming and plainly indicative of systemic, widespread failures by Tesla to meet the standard of care, as set forth in the governing contracts, as to the solar systems installed at Walmart’s stores," Walmart's lawsuit reads. Hours after news emerged of Walmart's lawsuit, Tesla stock has dropped slightly. ## Bad Timing The lawsuit couldn't have come at a worse time. On Sunday, Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced on Twitter that it will rent out Tesla solar roof panels for only $50 a month plus tax to reignite interest — a move that likely comes in a response to slowing sales. Tesla first showed off its solar roof tiles in 2017 after acquiring solar panel manufacturer SolarCity in 2016 for $2.6 billion. Walmart claims that problems arose even before the acquisition. **READ MORE:** [Walmart sues Tesla over several solar panel fires caused by ‘negligence’]() \[*The Verge*\] **More on Tesla:** *[You Can Now Rent Tesla Solar Panels for Crazy Cheap]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()