The Next Generation of Alternative Energy: Plug and Play Solar Panels

March 12th, 2009 by Ariel Schwartz

Want solar power on the cheap? Veranda Solar may be able to help. The company’s innovative panel design requires only a screwdriver and a standard home outlet. At $600, the panel is much more affordable than many of its competitors.

Veranda says that its product can be affixed to windows, gutters, and balconies in “plug and play style”– so the panels snap together and can be plugged in directly to an outlet. If you decide that a single panel isn’t enough to fulfill your power needs, springing for additional snap-on panels at $450 a pop isn’t too much of a stretch.

The company’s panels aren’t yet on the market, but a 100,000 Euro prize from the PICNIC Green Challenge has sped up the production process. According to Veranda, panels and flexible inverters should be available by the end of 2009.









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About the Author Ariel Schwartz was formerly the editor of CleanTechnica and is a senior editor at Co.Exist. She has contributed to SF Weekly, Popular Science, Inhabitat, Greenbiz, NBC Bay Area, GOOD Magazine, and more. A graduate of Vassar College, she has previously worked in publishing, organic farming, documentary film, and newspaper journalism. Her interests include permaculture, hiking, skiing, music, relocalization, and cob (the building material). She currently resides in San Francisco, CA.