Nothing says "afterthought" like a rectangle of solar panels slapped onto the roof of a house with no visual relationship with the rest of the structure. Swedish company SolTech Energy brings solar in a different direction with their roofing tiles, made from ordinary glass in the shape of (gasp) ordinary roofing tiles. Why has no one thought of this sooner?
The attractive tiles--which heat pockets of air that in turn heat water--were named "Hottest New Material 2010" by a Swedish construction industry magazine that, frankly, you've never heard of, but the proof's in the pudding; stack these up next to any other roof-based solar system and tell us which looks better.
via inhabitat