The company decided to innovate in the field of solar energy by developing a new solar panel that does not need sunlight to generate energy.
The idea of solar panels that don't need sunlight might sound crazy, but it's not completely impossible. As a cornerstone of the revolution to bring more clean energy to people, solar panels have become one of the best options available. However, these power conduits have a fatal flaw. They require direct sunlight to create energy. What if we could remove that flaw, though? That was the idea behind AuREUS, a new solar panel that doesn't rely on direct sunlight to generate energy.
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A Philippine student's solar panels don't need sunlight to generate electricity.
Carvey Ehren Maigue is a student at Mapua University in the Philippines. To create the panels, Maigue used luminescent particles from fruit and vegetable waste. They are the same particles that absorb ultraviolet rays from the Sun and transform them into visible light.
By using particles like this, Maigue created a solar film capable of capturing ultraviolet rays. The film then converts the rays into visible light which is used to generate energy. The idea is ingenious and helps to further reduce waste around the world. Furthermore, as it does not rely on direct sunlight, it can continue to generate power even in cloudy weather.
The current prototype is just a panel installed in a window in Maigue's apartment. However, it is capable of generating enough electricity to charge two phones a day. When expanded, Maigue says he believes it could allow buildings to run completely on their own electricity.
Understand how solar panels built from agricultural waste work
When placed between the glass of a double-glazed window, the different colored panels push sunlight to the edges of the window pane, where photovoltaic cells transform it into electricity – enough to charge two smartphones, but if used to screen an entire building, it can power major systems as well as delight onlookers with its use of bright color.
Made from recycled plant waste, the innovation earned its creator, Carvey Ehren Maigue, 29, the 2020 Dyson Foundation Sustainability Award.
Maigue named it AuREUS, as its multicolored nature resembles the Aurora Borealis. Unlike the bulky solar panels we all think of, AuREUS is a plant-based polymer sheet and can be bent, shaped and attached to virtually any shape. Also, they don't need UV light to be powered directly, the panels end up harvesting like plants do through clouds. If placed on a roof in full shade, they can still generate power if UV light is bouncing off, say, a skyscraper or near field.
Designed to have as little impact as possible, Maigue sought not only plant residues but also crops destroyed by storms and typhoons. Panels come in red, orange, yellow, green and blue, with a suitable natural blue coloring agent remaining unknown.
Expansion of the renewable energy market
Part of what's really exciting about solar panels that don't need sunlight, though, is the scalability. The film-like panel Maigue created is flexible. It is made of resin and can even be applied to clothing.
The idea was so good that it won the James Dyson Foundation Sustainability Award in 2020. Because it is so flexible, solar film leaves plenty of room for more innovators to step forward and find new applications.
Even the basic design that Maigue used could be useful, as it would only require you to apply the film to your window to collect electricity. This means less worrying about expensive solar panels on your roof or having to install them some other way.
