For all the PR energy that goes into pushing the solar revolution, Los Angeles homeowners remain skeptical about installing their own set of panels. (Our city of 4 million only has about 4,000 solar-powered homes.)

Maybe all those Big Green promo teams should have taken a tip or two from controversial American Apparel CEO Dov Charney. This guy knows better than the high-school volleyball coach at the corner carwash that sudsy young girls in bikinis can sell just about anything.

Case in point:

No wonder L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and the DWP's big solar initiative failed a few years ago — all they had to do was stick some babes on it!

Of course, we were a little skeptical that lathering one's solar panels is really a necessary part of upkeep. But indeed, via SolarTrader.ca: “It is important to keep your panels clean because anything from bird droppings and leaves can throw off your system.”

There you go. Fashionable and functional.

The online rooftop tour is part of American Apparel's new push for transparency at its downtown L.A. factory, after lawsuits over working conditions, an illegal-immigrant raid, etc. Every last janitorial closet in the facility can now be explored via interactive factory tour at AmericanApparel.com.

And we have to say, it's kind of working. Hard to be mad at swimsuit models with supersoakers.

[@simone_electra / swilson@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]

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