#HTE

The Smartflower Ground-Based Solar System

My wife and I recently drove past the house of a neighbor who had solar panels installed during the pandemic. Because the house is in a shaded location, the panels were installed in a low-to-the-ground array in the yard. It’s really unattractive. I didn’t want to ask them for permission to photograph their yard, so I found this photo online that’s close to what it looked like:

I applaud their decision to go solar, and would never volunteer my opinion of what it looks like, but I wondered if there isn’t a more attractive solution to ground-mounted solar panels. What I found is the Smartflower, an invention from Austria that’s been acquired by Boston-based Energy Management Inc.:

The Smartflower is inspired by sunflowers: It folds its “petals” up at night, with the sweeping action cleaning the panels. In the morning it unfurls them and, impressively, tilts to receive the sunlight at 90 degrees, and rotates to follow the sun’s path throughout the day.

The renders made me suspicious it was nothing more than a concept. But this video from This Old House shows the system in action, and also shows the installation process:

I think the $30,000 price cited for the 5KW unit shown is competitive, particularly with that 30% incentive. I would like to see the design evolve a bit more—it has the air of being a 1.0—but I think it’s a damn sight better-looking than the ground-based arrays I’ve seen online and down the road.