A new type of solar panel that can generate energy even without sunlight has been developed by an electrical engineering student at Mapua University.
The student, Carvey Ehren Maigue, recently won the James Dyson Sustainability Award for his creation, which he hopes will soon be used on the windows and walls of large buildings.
The concept, called AuREUS, harvests ultraviolet light from the sun, which can penetrate dense cloud cover and turn buildings into constant sources of energy.
The material is made from recycled waste agricultural crops and uses luminescent particles from fruit and vegetable waste to absorb UV light, which is then converted into visible light and finally into energy.
According to Maigue, the flexibility of the material, which can even be applied to fabric for clothing, opens up opportunities for innovative designs that could help more people to adopt renewable energy solutions.
Additionally, these panels could help reduce people's exposure to radiation, lower costs, mitigate climate change, and support local agricultural communities.
Maigue's next step is to install his first building installation of AuREUS at a small medical clinic in Jomalig, Philippines, that often experiences power outages during storms.
The new solar panel invention is a promising step towards a more sustainable future and a better form of renewable energy that utilizes the world's natural resources and brings the benefits of clean energy closer to people's lives.