Solar Panels Disguised as Ivy

Most people can agree that solar energy is a great green way to power your home or business. But unless solar panels are integrated into your building at the time the building is built, they can look pretty obtrusive and added on, particularly if you are in an older building. A Brooklyn based sustainable design start-up company called SMIT has come up with a smart solution- solar panels that look (from a distance) like ivy.

As you can see above, it fits in nicely with the architecture of classic brownstone building. The great thing about this idea is that not only to the panels look pretty good, you can also place them on walls which give you a huge advantage in places that are built up. Once a building hits 2 or 3 stories tall, the wall space becomes greater than the roof space (which is often taken up by mechanicals, skylights, or decks). Right now the group is very close to finalizing solar ivy for commercial use, they are looking for more investment money.

via dvice