20 Solar Cell Prototypes That Could Change the Future.HERE
Dye-sensitized solar cells are the low cost solar cells that could be our future — and the results of the workshop “Sunny Memories” prove the opportunities to use them are endless.
Encouraged by the ongoing solar energy revolution, the EPFL+ECAL Lab along with major design colleges the California College for the Arts in the U.S., the Royal College of Arts in the U.K., Ecole Cantonale d’Art de Lausanne in Switzerland, and Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Création Industrielle in France asked more than 80 students to come up with ideas using these cells.
PV can be used to stimulate plant-life.
Electric-feed-gardens. Since the 1980’s useful experiments have been done to stimulate plant-life by using very low amounts of electricity.
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The Race:
The prototypes are divided into three groups: suitable for production today (I); designs based on current state of technology that could be produced in three years (III); and designs that could be feasible in 10 years (X).
Some examples – # 5. It’s only fair that as biking becomes more popular, people riding them get better infrastructure, paths, and signs.
Mark, designed by Gene Woo Nam of California College of Arts (III), is a step in this direction. This information system combines solar colorant cells and e-paper display technology to provide data to bikers.
Here’s a nice follow-on from an earlier post today. # 10. There are many solar chargers to power your gadgets, and you can even make your own! However, there’s still room for improvement and innovation.
N47 is a ‘fruit’ bowl surfaced with perpendicular solar cells that can power up your electronics at home in a stylish way. It was designed by Christophe Machet and Enrique Illánez, from the Ecole Cantonale d’Art de Lausanne (III).
#12.
A roll-up PV rug, coat, sail etc to charge tools.
Sushi Sun is a high-tech parchment inspired by ancient rolls that held information. It’s designed by Charlotte Talbot, Aurélie Minder and Dimitri Bähler from the Ecole Cantonale d’Art de Lausanne (I) as an energy source for contemporary information tools.
Parasol by day lamp by night.
Now for something different – a speaker powered by sunlight !
PV Speaker
A gadget with a retro feel: This horn-shaped loudspeaker by Guillian Graves from the Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Création Industrielle is energy self-sufficient and emits sound anywhere, anytime. The solar cells are located in the black lines around the object.
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