Super Eco

Photo credit: Photo courtesy of Gurdeep Sandhu

For those clean energy nuts who want to keep their roofing pure, I give you the Solar Tree. Designed by Gurdeep Sandhu, the Solar Tree is a movable, stand-alone structure with solar panel wings. It easily folds away at night or during windy conditions. If you have a small crane, it looks like it could also easily be moved to the top of an apartment complex. Judging from the wing position in the photo, it also could double as a ping pong table. Make sure you're standing on the right side and blind your opponent with renewable light!

Gizmodo praises the invention as well, though they predict you might get a few awkward glances from neighbors who notice you have a big metal obstruction in the middle of your lawn. It could definitely scare the neighborhood kids away. Tell them it's a big raptor cage!

We shouldn't get too excited. This is our first glance at the device, with no word yet on how much energy it produces nor how much it will cost. Not to disparage Mr. Sandhu, but it's also not nearly as aesthetically pleasing to look at as a previously developed solar tree, though this device mentioned by Treehugger in 2007 is only a street lamp.

Still, it's good to see inventors stepping up and making solar panels more accessible to the public. More photos are available at Yanko Design. We'll update with pricing and delivery options when available.