Using solar panels to provide electricity for your home might seem like a great idea, but in some areas covering your roof with big black panels might get your neighbors into a snit. Solar Ivy is designed to keep the local busybodies at bay, because from a distance it just looks like you've planted a nice new ivy plant on the side of your home.

This isn't the first disguised solar power system we've seen, but it looks like a good solution for older buildings and apartment houses. Solar Ivy was developed by a group called S.M.I.T. (Sustainably Minded Interactive Technology), and they're trying to win a $50,000 Pepsi Refresh Project grant. So give them your vote if you like this.

Pepsi Refresh, via Core77