Solar Powered Street Lights
Published by Sierra Monica B., on July 29th, 2008 2:23 pm, in the categories: Gadgets
Remember our article about a simple technology called Thermocromic but with an amazingly beautiful applicability? Today we want to show you another cool idea present at International Design Excellence Awards this year among other innovative designs.
In the Commercial & Industrial category we’ve found the Invisible Streetlight, a design idea that would be useful on streets during night. It was created by Jongoh Lee, an industrial designer from South Korea who won also last year at Red Dot Design 2007, for her Kangaroo Apron concept.
The Invisible Streetlight consists of solar powered street lights imitating leaves, and that can be hidden among natural plants on the sides of streets. They are set to emit light during night and save the energy in the daylight.
These solar powered street lights made of double injection of silicon and aluminum materials, contain a photocapacitor and the nano wire battery with 10 times mode storage capacity than Li-Ion models. Besides adding flexibility, this material combination provides high thermal conductivity as well as waterproof capability.
A photocapacitor is an electricity storage device proofing more efficiency than silicon-based solar cell in low light. While the standard photovoltaic cells are dependent on a battery to store the electrical power converted from light, a photocapacitor is combining photoelectric and storage functions in a single unit. The technology was invented back in 2004 by Tsutomu Miyasaka and Takurou Murakami at Toin University in Yokohama, specially to power mobile phones and other wireless handheld devices.
In Li-Ion batteries, the electrical storage limits to the amount of lithium held in the anode made of carbon, while the silicone has a higher storage capacity. Researchers at Stanford University found a solution for the problem of silicone’s expand/shrink cycle that lead to the battery’s degradation in time. They used nanotechnology storing the Lithium in tiny silicone nanowires, which don’t fracture as they inflate soaking lithium.
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Remember our article about a simple technology called Thermocromic but with an amazingly beautiful applicability?
This idea is so interesting! Maybe they will use it in my town, too!
Oh wow, this is clever. I wonder how bright the light they give off is? Seems like it would be only a faint glow.
I can't wait to see more ideas like this catching on in the world as we move towards being more eco-friendly. Not only is this far better for the environment, but it actually looks nice too.
The light is not bright, like you said, but if they are many it should be enough.