Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Aesthetics
Mymotheralwaystoldmethatbeautyisintheeyeofthebeholder,andIthinkthat'strue
of the solar modules we install on our roofs. I personally find them lovely because they
representhomeowners'effortstodotherightthing,savemoney,andachievetheirhigher
selves by exercising their house power. But I also thought the Treo mobile phone was
really lovely, and all the way through the Palm's sad saga I thought the device was just
thecutestthing—soIadmitthatImaynotbethebestjudge,andtheremaybesomething
to some people's aesthetic concerns about home solar panels.
The truth is, people who buy them are proud of them, and the good news is there's
a lot that can be done with the form factor of solar modules. Consumer feedback has
already brought about changes; for example, most of our company's modules are now
black-on-black because that's what the Joneses wanted. Most are also set closer to the
roof so they're lower profile and appear less boxy, and some are set into the roof in a
shingled design.
As with consumer electronics, there will be traps for young players working in the
solar industry as companies try to roll out solar panels that are driven entirely by fash-
ion—for fashion is fickle, as we all know. Look at the early hybrid cars, which many
peoplefeltwereugly;asthevehiclesbecamemorewidespread,theirappearancebecame
much better perceived. An even more mundane example is the automatic garage door:
most of them are far from things of beauty, but because they're such a common sight on
moststreetsinAmericawerarelystoptothinkabouthowaestheticallypleasingtheyare.
So it will be for solar panels.
As this is a utilitarian product, the attractiveness of the kit on the roof may become
less important to many users than the service and the benefits it provides. As with the
garage door, we learn to love it or at least not notice it if the control is simple and el-
egant. This is where we have focused our efforts at Sungevity: improving the customer
experience by working on the user interface. Clever design will help address concerns
about aesthetics andwill buoythe Rooftop Revolution inthe sea ofsame-same suburban
houses that are not yet powered by sunshine.
Scale
The World Energy Outlook is an important annual report released by the International
Energy Agency. I say “important” because a lot of important (and some self-important)
and influential people read it and use it to inform their policymaking. Indeed, the IEA
was set up during the oil crisis of the 1970s to help the world's governments preempt
the supply-and-demand imbalances that led tothose problems, andit hassince fashioned
itself as the guide for global policymaking for all forms of energy choices. The IEA is
Search WWH ::




Custom Search