A Spanish-German partnership has helped provide a glimpse into the future of the solar industry. It’s a future where roof-mounted frames are obsolete and homeowners associations can’t object to the look of solar because the panels are nearly invisible.

Seventeen European countries in 1985 established EUREKA, a public-private partnership aimed at supporting technology development across Europe. Headed up by Intemper Espanola, the partnership’s latest advance in solar technology involves thin-film solar made from amorphous silicon. The aim? Develop thin, flexible, durable solar panels that can be integrated directly into the building’s roof, rather than added on as a retrofit.

Francisco Ruiz, General Manager of Intemper Espanola, often thought about how to improve frame-mounted solar installations. The current project did not take form, however, until one of Intemper’s suppliers bought a German company specializing in waterproofing roofs.

The result is a six-millimeter-thick solar cell that can be used on all rooftops. Called Evalon Solar, the product is touted as the “all-in-one roof insulation, waterproofing and solar-panelling” system. It’s not clear whether the product is “virtually invisible” because it’s so thin or because it resembles an ordinary roofing material.

According this article from Science Daily,

Evalon Solar is a hit, particularly with architects looking to include solar panelling on buildings without cluttering up simple roofs or spoiling unusual or effective shapes. “We’ve got another 46 architects coming to look round our site tomorrow,” says Ruiz. “Architects tell us it looks even better when they see it for themselves on buildings than it does in our photographs.”

Learn more about EUREKA on the organization’s blog.