Solar Trees Can Provide Parking In The Shade

"Solar Trees. Solar Groves. The value of shade in the future economy. Bio-mimicry. My little brain was racing to absorb all the solar heat coming through the phone. I spent nearly an hour talking with Robert Noble. Trained as an architect, he’s now CEO of Envision Solar in LaJolla, among his several ventures. Envision’s a spin-off from his architectural firm. Their first big project was to solarize a parking lot for Kyocera in San Diego. Appropriately Kyocera maunfactures solar components, and they wanted a showcase. They got it."

"One of Noble’s points is that he sees solar from an architect’s viewpoint. It can be both functional and beautiful. It can be part of the overall design and pay economic dividens to the building owner. And, he says, more and more corporations are coming to realize it is not their lobby that gives a first impression to visitors, it’s the parking lot they must contend with first. One of Noble’s associates says any company’s image begins at the curb, not at the lobby door. A solar, shaded parking lot is a very different message than forty acres of asphalt under the noonday sun. A pretty point, I must admit."