Anew solar technology combines flexible solar panels with fabric to create a canopy that generates electricity. Solar fabric architecture, the result of combining fabric and solar cells, can be used to create canopies and other shaded gathering places where building occupants can relax while they recharge their devices. "It's a pretty basic concept - it's a surface that's getting hit by the sun all day and previously wasn't creating electricity. Now it is," explains Colin Touhey, CEO of Pvilion, a solar fabric manufacturer. "We're taking areas that get hit by the sun, providing shading and putting solar cells on them to serve a multi-purpose."
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