Say Goodbye To Ugly Solar Panels
Solar panels are a great way for residents and businesses to save money and save the earth at the same time. Solar power generates a useful amount of electricity for homes and companies. Right now is a particularly good time to invest in solar panels because the cost of doing so is at an all-time low. However, some people are still holding off. A major reason cited for delaying adding solar panels to a home is the perhaps-superficial-but-still-undeniable fact that solar panels are not exactly pretty. That could be changing as new companies and green designers begin to develop solar panels that are designed to blend into the buildings where they’re used.
The solar panels of the past have all pretty much looked the same. They’re large, rectangular blocks that cover almost the entire roof of the home or business where they are placed. When you look down on them from above, they stand out as an eyesore against the rest of the landscape. Although they’re functional and earth-friendly, they’re a turnoff to many homebuyers and business owners because they’re so aesthetically unappealing.
New green designers are starting to recognize that it’s important to their customers to get the benefits of solar power energy without compromising the appearance of the buildings where the panels will be placed. We’re starting to see new options coming to the green market which reflect a prettier trend in solar power. For example, several companies are beginning to create solar panels that are designed to look just like roof tiles or shingles. The home can continue to look the way that it always has but with the added benefit of having built-in solar energy.
California homes are the first to really catch on to this new solar panel trend. A California company called U.S. Tile has partnered with green tech company SRS Energy to create traditional Southwestern-style clay tiles that have built-in photovoltaic cells for energy power. This new option is relatively affordable in terms of residential solar power additions, provides more solar energy to the home than traditional solar panels do and is much better-looking for the home owner. That’s a solution that sounds good to a lot of people.
Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/27/business/27novel.html?_r=1
Publish Date: 2009-10-08 13:28:56
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