Two New Jersey homeowners find that a two-part install of solar panels is necessary for them to meet their energy needs. How do they use SolarSkin™ by Sistine Solar to integrate these disparate arrays so that the charming aesthetic of their property is left intact? Read on to learn how they solved the problem, becoming potential world trendsetters along the way.
Project Highlights
- Project type: Residential
- Size: 16.4 kW
- Installer: Geoscape Solar
- Design: blue metal roof blend and custom sky design
- Modules: LG 335W NeON® 2 Black
- Inverters: SolarEdge
- Location: Newton, New Jersey
The Challenge
Nestled away in an idyllic corner of New Jersey, this home is simply spectacular. The home’s pastel blue rises like a crescendo against the trees to harmonize with the sky. Surrounding the house is soothing greenery. Surely a color palette not to be altered. So when the homeowners considered going solar, a dilemma emerged. Did the adoption of sustainable energy have to end their days of viewing an unmarred natural landscape? Furthermore, their limited roof space required that a second array be set up elsewhere to provide them with enough energy. Now their concerns about aesthetics were twofold: they wanted the roof panels to blend in with the roof, and they also wished for the second array to not become an eyesore.
The Solution
Planning started with our partner ,Geoscape Solar, the homeowners, and the Sistine Solar team to make some important creative decisions regarding the integration of the solar system onto the property.
The roof component was easily resolved to the homeowners’ preference. Although unique in color, the roof presented no new challenge to the Sistine team. After all, SolarSkin™ by Sistine Solar was designed to help solar panels blend in with roofs, no matter the material! The homeowners simply followed the usual procedure for sending snapshots of their roof and mailed a sample of the blue metal material for greater color accuracy. The Sistine team then rapidly developed SolarSkin to the level of vibrancy they preferred.
Then came time to choose a design for the second array, a ground mount that would otherwise sit as a black rectangle against mellow grass and wildflowers. The homeowners felt that gardening next to a disrupted view would ruin the peaceful and nature-immersed experience. Once again, the possibilities of SolarSkin were expansive, but choosing the right look required discretion. Simply blending in the solar panels with the grass below would have come with new challenges, including the change of grass appearance with the seasons. Featuring leaves or flowers, other flora that naturally grace the ground, would have caused similar issues.
Ground mount renderings of the sky design options presented to the homeowners
So the homeowners dreamed a little bigger and found an answer in the clouds. You can’t go wrong with reflecting the sky, which offers sunny blue days during all the seasons in New Jersey. This was a design that put even the Sistine team on edge to see what the end results would be; there was the sense that the project would embark into uncharted territory for a home installation. The homeowners were promptly presented with several variations of cloud-and-sky designs, and they finally chose graphics displaying cumulus clouds atop a sky of bright blue. Now the solar panels are ready to provide decades' worth of service while maintaining the beauty of the property.
The Outcome
This project saw another array of solar panels whose adoption was made more enthusiastic thanks to art. In this case, the versatility of SolarSkin was key to delivering satisfaction. Not only does the technology allow solar panels to be hidden on a roof, it also allows solar panels to stand out in a marvelous way, according to the client’s tastes. Check out the breathtaking drone shots below!
The freedom granted these homeowners on the ground mount design has made them the world’s first owners of creatively-implemented solar panels for residential use. We hope this trend will persist as others see the beautiful precedent set in New Jersey!
For more information on SolarSkin’s power to transform your home solar array, visit ,,here.
