The largest solar rooftop on the planet is being installed by none other than American automotive giant General Motors. The company announced on Tuesday that it plans to install the biggest rooftop solar photovoltaic power installation on Earth on top of its car assembly plant at Figueruelas, Zaragoza, Spain. The installation will cover over 2 million square feet of space with renewable electricity producing photovoltaic cells on 85,000 solar panels.

Partnering with Clairvoyant Energy, Veolia Environmental and the Government of the Spanish state of Aragon, GM will produce over 12 MW at peak output on the Zaragoza rooftop using United Solar Ovonic thin laminate panels - enough to power over 4,500 households per year. GM already operates two of the largest solar power installations in the United States at its plants at Fontana and Rancho Cucamongo, California. The latter facility powers 50% of its electricity by the solar installation.

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The Mindset Six50 is the latest in innovative, super energy efficient car developed by a startup company working outside the traditional confines of the industry. But Mindset is hardly some fly by night strewn together on a whim. Former Volkswagen Head of Design, Murat Gunak has partnered with Swiss Multimillionaire Lorenzo Schmid to create a new standard in energy efficient ground transportation coupled with truly striking design.

The Mindset Six50 mixes power sources creating multiple energy options for its owners. Plugin Lithium Ion Batteries, a two cylinder hybrid gas engine and even solar panels installed on the roof of the car work in unison to provide the owner with a range of nearly 500 miles on merely one charge and one tank of gasoline. Central to the efficiency of the machine is its light weight, about 1400 lbs., from its state of the art aluminum frame. Large 22″ wheels provide for greater safety. All told the car is Marat Gunak’s answer to the major industry players who used to employ; an industry he says has become “too big, too heavy, too expensive”. Expense is the one thing the Mindset needs to work on however, with the first models, scheduled to arrive in 2009 priced at 50,000 EUR or $77,200. But just think how much the DVD player was when it first came out - then take a trip to the Wal-Mart Electronics section.

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