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Jason Chang, a 7th-grade student in Worcester, developed a solar tracker that dispenses with motors and electricity by using gravity and a seesaw design to increase the efficiency of solar energy. The invention, made with recycled parts, cost less than $25 and earned the student the title of national STEM champion.
A 12-year-old student from Worcester, Massachusetts, built a solar tracker that works without motors, electricity, or expensive components using only water, gravity, and recycled parts. Jason Chang, a 7th grader, developed the device as a school project and managed to increase the efficiency of solar panels by 20% with equipment that cost less than $25 to assemble.
What started as an attempt to solve a household problem—manually adjusting the family’s solar-powered Christmas decorations—turned into a nationally recognized invention. Jason was named the national STEM champion and will present his solar tracker in Washington, D.C., as one of the 55 young people selected nationwide by the program that celebrates scientific projects from elementary school students.
How the gravity-powered solar tracker works
The principle behind Jason Chang’s solar tracker is ingeniously simple. Instead of using electric motors or electronic sensors to track the sun’s position throughout the day like commercial systems do, the device uses water and a seesaw mechanism to gradually tilt the panel, harnessing the force of gravity itself.
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The operation is based on a system of interconnected buckets. Water is slowly added to one side of the structure, causing the weight to shift and the panel to tilt progressively towards the sun.
The solar tracker follows the sun’s movement throughout the day without consuming any electricity, eliminating the need for batteries, wiring, or digital programming. It is a purely analog mechanism that simply solves a problem that conventional systems tackle with complexity and high cost.
Recycled parts and a cost below $25
One of the most notable aspects of Jason’s solar tracker is the cost. While commercial solar tracking systems can cost hundreds or thousands of dollars, the student’s prototype was assembled entirely with recycled parts and affordable materials, totaling less than $25.
This low-cost approach is particularly relevant for communities with limited resources. The solar tracker developed by Jason demonstrates that real energy efficiency gains do not necessarily depend on expensive or sophisticated technology.
In rural areas or developing countries, where static solar panels are the norm due to cost issues, a simple and cheap device capable of increasing energy capture by 20% could make a concrete difference in electricity generation for homes and small businesses.
The result: 20% more efficiency in solar capture
In tests conducted by Jason, the gravity-powered solar tracker managed to increase the efficiency of solar panels by approximately 20% compared to fixed panels positioned at a static angle.
The gain can be explained by the basic principle of solar energy: the more perpendicular the sunlight hits the surface of the panel, the greater the energy capture.
Static panels are only in the ideal position for a fraction of the day. In the morning and late afternoon, the light hits the panel at oblique angles that significantly reduce energy generation.
Tracking systems solve this problem by keeping the panel always oriented towards the sun, and Jason’s device does this without adding energy consumption to the process, meaning that the entire 20% gain is net.
From school project to national STEM champion
Jason Chang’s solar tracker caught the attention of the evaluators of the national STEM program, which annually selects the most promising scientific projects presented by elementary school students in the United States.
Jason was named one of the 55 national champions and will present his invention in Washington, D.C.
The surprise was communicated to the student by a team from WBZ, the CBS affiliate in Boston, who visited him in Worcester for a report.
The moment Jason discovers he will represent his state in the federal capital was captured on video, showing the genuine reaction of the 12-year-old boy in response to a recognition he did not expect.
Jason himself stated that his motivation was to solve a practical everyday problem, and that the idea that his solution could have broader applications only arose after the test results were ready.
A simple idea with the potential for real impact
Jason Chang’s case illustrates something that engineers and renewable energy researchers know well: not every innovation needs to be complex to be transformative.
The gravity-powered solar tracker does not use artificial intelligence, does not depend on internet connectivity, and does not require specialized maintenance. It works with water and basic physics.
If the concept is refined and adapted for use at scale in off-grid communities, in solar agriculture projects, or in low-cost residential installations, the $25 solar tracker could represent a real contribution to the democratization of clean energy.
Meanwhile, the project already serves another important role: showing that elementary school students are capable of thinking of solutions to real problems when given encouragement and the freedom to experiment.
What do you think of Jason’s invention? Do you believe that simple ideas like this can have a real impact on solar energy or is the path always high technology? Leave your opinion in the comments.
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