Do you find solar panels on buildings useful but ugly? We did too but we also love efficiency, renewable energy and zero consumption buildings. Luckily during the last years, architects and product designers seem intrigued to the challenge: some find new uses for existing technology, others create innovative new materials. It’s time to map our options. Continuing from our previous post, here they are:

4. The “Grand Vertical”: Panels on walls. Given that all buildings have outer walls and their vertical surfaces of most buildings are bigger than their roofs, why not put the panes on them? It only seems fair .

This option is used mainly in new buildings, designed to house working environments, as they are covered in some sort of cladding anyway.

Architects are keen to use photovoltaic panels as cladding and eager to exploring all options.

They change the usual solar shape panel,

they play around creating patterns by custom size cells placed in new frameworks, they encase the whole thing in one big glass surface,

they create rotating panels that are also used for shading,

they create bold shapes for flagship solar buildings such as this “Solar Ark” created for Sanyo in Japan,

And sometimes, they create surprisingly playful spaces that make sustainability fun and sexy!

It’s all in the brief buys! Next!