Greentech Media broke news today of a prototype rooftop solar system made for simplicity, shipability, and affordability. The system is being developed by Armageddon Energy and is aptly called a "clover." The clover includes three hexagonal solar panels, a micro-inverter, and a triangular frame. It's lightweight (check out the regular folks below doing installation work) and can generate roughly 400 watts. The company just finished early stage testing and is readying a beta program for further testing.

Although installation appears simple, the rack still needs to be mounted to the roof, panels need to be positioned, and everything needs to be plugged in. But the no-frills design should ease the costs of installation, which typically runs about 30-50% of the cost of the total solar system.

The panels are light — roughly 10-12 pounds per hexagonal panel — because the glass is replaced with a Teflon coating from DuPont. The panels may not last as long as their glass counterparts, but in any event, a clover is rumored to cost about $6,000 once the company starts prefabbing and shipping commercial volumes about a year from now.

[=] Armageddon Energy Clovers

[+] An IKEA for Solar? by Greentech Media

Photo credits: Greentech Media.