Hang Out Your (Solar) Shingle  

The ABC's "New Inventors" recently had a segment on solar roof tiles made by a company called PV Solar Tiles. Unlike traditional roof mounted solar panels, these actually replace roof tiles rather than sitting on top of them (if you're really interested, this is a demonstration video (RealPlayer)).

This idea is also being pursued by the likes of Sharp, which has been commented on by both TreeHugger and WorldChanging recently.

Meet the BISPVs (building integrated solar photovoltaics). "Beautifully complementing roof tiles of many shapes and sizes, Sharp’s ND-60RU1 solar modules offer a clean integrated look that’s especially pleasing to homeowners". These solar roof shingles integrate into the roof in the same manner as common,flat concrete tiles, and can be easily replaced individually. They screw to the existing roof battens, so no additional framing materials or extra roof penetrations needed.

On a related note, MetaEfficient has a post up on solar hot water systems, and TreeHugger has one about the use of solar power in remote parts of Argentina.

Now there's another reason to come to the end of the world: visiting the solar towns in the northern area of the country. In these villages, located to more than 4000 meters above the sea level, in deserts or hidden between the rocky landscapes, solar power was redirected to fulfill the small isolated towns' energetic demand. This might sound so simple to us, but it's a huge advance for this people, who live in a very dry region in high levels of unsatisfied needs, and can now enjoy, thanks to photo voltaic paques, the possibilities of almost endless source of energy at no price.

What's more appealing to this combination for us to place it in the eco-tourism category, is that the region (composed by Jujuy, Salta and Catamarca provinces) has a very rustic aesthetics, and the combination of the marinate houses with the futuristic solar plaques is a surreal dream. Like the needing past encountering with innovation and intelligent technological development, and both coexisting in harmony.

It's funny how in this country, poverty and lack of resources has become a motor for the development of sustainable alternatives. Just take Carlos Levinton's projects, the Eco and Socially Aware Materials from Córdoba province, or the great diffusion of CNG. All these have their base in the fact that they are, not only green alternatives, but cheap and useful.

Finally, WorldChanging has a post on solar powered community radio station in Niger - just one more example of an organisation generating its own power (in that particular case, regular power isn't even available).

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