Solar power is lighting up the world, and not just on rooftops anymore. Scientist and innovators are continually discovering new ways to harness the sun’s energy in exciting and practical ways that will change our world. With enormous strides being made in the industry, we’ve highlighted a few of the latest, coolest and dare we say, brightest, solar powered products! They’re simply genius.
Plug in to solar
A revolutionary suite of batteries was recently unveiled by entrepreneur Elon Musk, who believes they could “fundamentally change the way the world uses energy” and get us off fossil fuels. Launched at a relatively cheap price the “powerwall” is designed as a home battery that charges using electricity generated from solar panels, or when utility rates are low, and powers your home in the evening. Automated, compact and apparently simple to install, the battery promises to increase the capacity for a household’s solar consumption, while also offering backup functionality during grid outages and loadshedding.
Sun solution to drought!
Scientists are looking at solving water problems with a little help from an unlikely source - the sun. A team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Jain Irrigation Systems have recently developed a method that is able to pull the salt out of water and turn brackish water into drinking water using a solar-powered machine. The machine then also disinfects the water using ultraviolet rays. With South Africa, Africa and the world facing severe drought this technology can’t come soon enough.