🌞 SOLAR: A new solar installation in Minneapolis is combining clean energy technology with art in what’s being called a first-of-its kind innovation, reports the Energy News Network.

• Wavy ribbons of colored solar panels are on the building’s façade between rows of office windows.
• The panel colors are created from solar skins that generally are used for embellishing panels with company’s names.
• The panels can tilt to achieve more solar gain.
• Designers say there aren’t any projects that use this combination of multiple panel colors, angles, and designs. Greater use of this concept could become a way to win over critics who say solar installations are not aesthetically pleasing.

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🚌 TRANSPORTATION:

• An electric, autonomous transit shuttle will go into service in Detroit to transport seniors and other underserved individuals to and from hospital appointments. NextEnergy and DTE Energy are two of the partners on the free shuttle service project, which uses “cutting edge” technology.
• Lordstown, Ohio-based electric truck startup Lordstown Motors is one of the growing number of businesses relying on a special purchase acquisition company (SPAC) transaction to raise capital, reports The New York Times. SPAC investors have become particularly interested in electric vehicle businesses in recent months.

🏆 AWARD: The University of North Dakota is one of five institutions to win the APPA Sustainability Innovation Award this year. UND received the recognition for its public-private partnership project that will use new technologies to convert a coal-fired steam plant to a natural-gas-powered steam plant.