The San Francisco Board of Supervisors recently passed new legislation that makes San Francisco the first major U.S. city to mandate solar panels (or solar-heating units) on all new residential and commercial construction shorter than 10 stories beginning in 2017. If more cities follow suit, these laws could change the way architects industry-wide think about solar.

Big, blue, shiny, and often slapped onto roofs as an afterthought, solar panels have an unsightly reputation, but that’s beginning to change as architects experiment with creative ways to incorporate these mini energy farms into buildings. As solar architecture becomes more pervasive, designers will likely have to push the aesthetics even more–particularly in areas that have challenging design review policies from local planning commissions. This could also spur technological innovations from solar-panel manufacturers as well, as they invent new materials that can harvest energy from the sun without compromising materiality.

On the heels of San Francisco’s announcement, we’ve rounded up 10 examples of architecture that thoughtfully and beautifully incorporate solar energy.

1. The Further Education Center at Mont-Cernis

Designed by the firm HHS Planer + Architekten, the , in Herne, Germany, features a roof canopy made from solar panels that generate electricity and shade the interior.

2. The Blauhaus at Niederrheim University

Andreas Horsky via Kadawittfeld Architecture

At first glance, the Blauhaus by Kadawittfledarchitektur looks like it has a facade composed solely of blue glass, but closer inspection reveals that it’s actually a tessellation of windows and solar panels, which can be rotated to follow the sun.