Renewable energy and specifically solar energy has been a hot topic of innovation for the last decade and more. Endlessly creative souls come up with new devices, new applications and new uses for solar energy, on top of improving the efficiency and manufacture of more traditional panels and inverters. Read on below to see some of the more recent exciting inventions that have come about.
7. Farming Robots
The agricultural sector is one that has always had one of the keenest interests in both automation and renewable technologies. The solar robot is an application of both. All around the world models of this idea are being produced, powered by the sun, the robots roll across the field, removing weeds or planting fresh seeds, reducing the work of the farmer while relying on the same power that lets the plants grow, the sun.
6. Solar Hat Charger
The Solsol hat is changing how we think about headwear. With miniature solar panels integrated into the brim of the cap, the Solsol allows its wearer to plug their smartphone into their hat to charge on the go. Now that’s some bright thinking!
5. Solar Oven
People who love camping probably benefit the most from unique solar energy gadgets, from solar tents to solar ovens, solar is making the outdoors feel more and more like home. The Solar oven couldn’t be simpler, but there are a million variations, all using the reflected rays of the sun off of highly conductive surfaces to cook food to perfection.
4. Solar LED Bricks
More of a cosmetic choice than some of the other inventions but very cool nonetheless! Solar LED bricks can be incorporated into your backyard, lighting up your garden in a creative and really quite unique way. Operating without any need to be connected to a larger system, the bricks add their own colorful flair to a garden.
3. Solar Backpack
Whether it’s a laptop, a tablet or simply your phone, a solar backpack can have your back (bad pun intended). With a solar panel integrated into the top of the bag, it’s the perfect accessory for hikers or people on the move a lot.
2. Floating Solar Farms
A huge percentage of our world is made up of water, oceans dominate everything. So why not make use of that available space? Solar farms are being constructed all around the world, floating on rivers, lakes and the ocean, supplying power to huge swathes of land, with nothing obstructing them, they’re some of the world’s most efficient systems.
1. Solar Skins
The next step in aesthetic rooftop solar energy system design. Solar skins are currently in testing in the UK, they allow for the imprinting of a design onto solar panels, allowing the roof tiles to be imprinted onto the tiles, allowing them to blend into the roof. You can even imprint them with grass, or company logos, making them fantastic choices for commercial installations.
Every day, somewhere, someone is doing something new with solar energy. They’re improving, diversifying and creating new products, new ideas, new opportunities for renewable energy to be applied in our everyday lives. What we showed off here were only a few small examples of what’s being produced, and we can’t wait to see what comes next.
