Why aesthetics are the secret weapon we need to popularise solar energy

In the race to catch up with renewable energy, the question of aesthetics is rarely on the table. Considering our growing need for energy independence away from fossil fuels, this is somewhat understandable. Yet, many individuals and entire regions are refusing to make the leap to renewable energy exactly because of the way solar panels and wind turbines look. In the city of Amsterdam, whose historic centre is a protected conservation area, solar panels ruin the traditional landscape and are therefore not permitted. Dutch designer Marjan van Aubel is working on ways to change that – not by challenging policy, but by disrupting our preconceived ideas of what solar panels should and could look like. One stunning example are the colourful solar panel skylights her studio designed for the Netherlands Pavilion at Dubai Expo 2020. In this video, she talks to Mashable about the importance of creating technology in symbiosis with our environments, why the solar energy of the future needs to be beautiful as well as sustainable, and how she’s already achieving this.