Stick'em and go Solar!

DRI%20Energy.jpgThese new solar panels are said to abolish roof racks, brackets and other cumbersome hardware. That's because these babies are stick-ons!

Developed by DRI Energy, the panels use a "peel and stick" approach and can be literally slapped on to any flat roof. Of course, this convenience is not without sacrifice. Ecotality points out that DRI's stickables generate less electricity than the conventional, mountable panels, which is "due to the panels not being tilted to optimize the angle of the sun." They are also not impervious to the elements and can ironically sustain heat damage from sun's radiation.

No labor or racking costs -- so far so good. I suppose the stick-ons' retail value will be the only thing that either makes them or breaks them.

Update This correction came from DRI, regarding our statement about the modules and heat damage:

This is not true for our modules. They give up around 4% output per year when compared to standard racked mounted modules due to flat positioning (vs. tilted) and higher operating temperature (due to lessen air flow cooling the module), but they don't get damaged by heat.
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