16 spectacular solar arrays you MUST see
Face it: most solar panels are just butt-ugly. If they were more attractive, imagine how many more people would be inspired to try it for themselves. We've gathered some of the most amazing, impressive arrays that are around today, and a few that could be coming in the future.
The Sun-Moon Mansion (above) in the "solar valley" of Dezhou, China, was built to house a conference on solar energy. The sundial-shaped building contains 50,000 square feet of solar panels that provide 95% of the building's energy needs.
Explore the gallery below to see 15 more of the world's most impressive solar arrays.
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This solar tower in the Mojave Desert uses the sun to heat liquid salt in the central tower that in turn, heats water to generate steam. Looks more like a way to use the sun's power to blast an incoming asteroid, but we'll settle for saving the world by keeping it green. Global Greenhouse Warming
The first solar station in Europe, located in Seville, Spain, focuses 624 solar panels on a 300 foot tower filled with water that turns to steam. The heat is so intense that the vapor and dust surrounding the tower glows. Judy Kitsune
Solar panels on a rooftop are nothing new, but what if they are the rooftop? This array from Solar Red is designed to be simple to install with a "plug and play" bracket system. Not a bad looking way to go. Ecofrenzy
Cool Earth's innovative solar balloons use lightweight, inexpensive plastics to create efficient solar arrays that are scalable, and quite a bit more attractive than boring flat panels. Cool Earth
Google's headquarters are doing solar in a big, big way. Practically every inch of rooftop space is covered in panels, including their carports that also have plug-in stations for hybrid cars. The panels provide about 30% of the energy required by the search engine's engines. Solar Panels
Terra-cotta roof tiles are quite attractive on their own, but when they're solar collectors too, well, they become downright gorgeous. SRS Energy creates roof tiles that mimic Spanish tiles, slate and shake roof tiles. Ciao bella! SRS Energy
PlanetSolar's yacht claims to be the world's largest solar-powered yacht. With 5,380 square feet of solar panels, you would think it would fly. However, its 66-ton weight limits it to speeds of about 15 knots. DVICE
Sanyo's Solar Ark is green on multiple levels. Not only does the 5,000-panel structure generate 630 kWatts, the panels themselves are recycled. They were destined for the landfill after a product recall, but instead were repurposed beautifully. Sanyo
The Center for Architecture Science and Ecology at Rensselaer Polytech has produced a beautiful solar pyramid that can be used in new construction and as a retrofit. Not only do the glass pyramids, Integrated Concentrating Dynamic Solar Facades, collect solar energy, they can also offer thermal energy to be used to heat water or a living space. CASE
Solar Ivy is an innovative way to add solar panels to a structure that lets it blend in with a variety of colors, opacity and flexibility. It's certainly nicer than a flat panel sitting on the front lawn. Solar Ivy
The Shangri La Botanical Gardens in Orange, Texas use solar panels for 30% of their energy needs. Their greenish doesn't end there. They use rainwater for their toilets, and waterless urinals in the public restrooms. Recycled plastics are used for the walkways, corn is used to produce the carpets, and the asphalt is recycled from other paving projects in the area. Shangri La Gardens
Wind-powered boats are ancient history, but the Solar Sailor combines wind and solar power to propel and power this super-yacht. TrendsUpdate
Most people assume that solar arrays are usually located in flat, mostly arid areas. This array is on a former military installation in Passau, Bavaria, proving that you don't need constantly sunny days to develop solar plants. Treehugger
The Olmedilla Park solar park in Spain uses 162,000 solar panels to produce 62 MW of power on a typical day in sunny Spain. Solar Lighting
This solar car, named Eleanor, was designed by a team at MIT for a competition of solar vehicles. On a sunny day, it can run for hours at 55 mph, and even on a cloudy day, it has enough battery storage to get the car from Boston to New York. Let's hope it doesn't hit rush hour traffic. dasolar
