Since the grand entry of solar panels into the market, many building have received the benefits of sustainable green energy. The solar panel has evolved and we are now moving into the era of solar textiles. They weren’t developed yesterday but practical uses are very slow to clamber into daily use, which is why we’ve decided to give solar innovations the spotlight today.
Sheila Kennedy of MIT and Violich Architecture completed their Soft House prototype where curtains alone harness half the energy required to run the household, a daily 1600 watt-hours of electricity. Ironically, the surface will receive the least amount of light during the brightest and hottest part of the day, which begs the question whether we should stick to our rooftop panels or move on. Admittedly, it’s not that pretty to look at but perhaps the aesthetics of the solar curtain, as well as its marketability will improve over time.

In the meantime though, we suggest you take a look at the ESC Juice Bags. These are a selection of tote bags or rucksacks with a key difference – the come with a high-efficiency, waterproof solar panel made of 52 solar cells. The accessory or device, as you may call it is good enough to charge handheld devices within a few hours. It’s disappointing for all those who hoped to have a perpetual power source for their laptops but it’s definitely a start. They go for about $250 in the USA, about an eight of the price of a new Versace. Is it worth it? You decide.

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This entry was posted on Friday, July 31st, 2009 at 4:35 am and is filed under Gadgets. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.