Solar panels undergo extreme makover (San Francisco)

The solar panel has undergone an extreme makeover.

Residents, especially those buying new homes, now have plenty of options for solar panels that are more pleasing to the eye than traditional photovoltaic modules.

Suntech America has several types of panels that some customers believe look better than the aluminum frame panels that are standard in the industry. Suntech offerings include entirely black panels shaped like roof tiles and so-called integrated panels that snap together to form part of the roof itself.

Suntech’s SolarBlend, 50-watt solar tiles displace roof tiles and, as the name suggests, blend in with a roof instead of being mounted to the roof like traditional tiles. The company has a partnership with Eagle Roofing, which markets the panels through its network of roofing installation companies that install them for customers who want the blended product.

Read the full story in the San Francisco Business Times.