Sustainability is the next big design challenge in any industry. And one of the most interesting parts of it is the exploration of materials. Which ones will we use? What changes will we make to optimize our resources and improve the climate? I am thinking of one solution among many: AuREUS solar windows.
Fossil fuels continue to account for over 81% of global energy production. If we continue to burn fossil fuels at the current rate, global gas and oil supplies will end within 40 years.
To be ready for change, we need to focus on affordable and effective renewable alternatives. Like these innovative solar windows that capture energy.
AuREUS, the spectacle of sustainability
The AuREUS system uses a technology created from recycled crop waste that helps walls and windows absorb UV scattered sunlight and convert it into clean renewable electricity. Brilliant.
Designed by Carvey Ehren Maigue of Mapua University, these panels can be transformed into windows or walls that will collect solar energy and convert it into electricity.
Three things that instantly made me fall in love with this design:
- Clean renewable energy
- Reuse of agricultural waste
- Energy saving.
Smart windows inspired by the aurora
AuRUES is inspired by the lights of the dawn. A natural process that occurs when luminescent particles in the upper atmosphere absorb energy from UV and Gamma rays, and emit it as visible light.
AuREUS panels mimic this process by incorporating similar luminescent particles into the resin so that when sunlight hits the panel it absorbs UV rays and produces visible light.
The light is then directed towards the edges of the panel where normal photovoltaic cells collect the energy to transform it into electricity. The colors of the luminescent particles come from dyes obtained from agricultural waste, which makes this system a closed loop.
AuREUS, capturing light in freedom
Current renewable-based solutions can only generate electricity under the right environmental conditions. For example, solar panels can only capture and convert visible light into renewable energy and to do so they must be facing the sun. Solar parks also need to be built horizontally, which takes up space that could actually be used for cultivation or other resources.
AuREUS eliminates the need to have certain conditions to harness solar energy, which makes it more efficient and suitable for various spaces.
I believe this technology has great potential. It can generate renewable and clean energy without invading existing spaces, without consuming new resources, helping the waste cycle and local agricultural communities.
Not to mention another key factor: these windows also capture U light, a spectrum not found in conventional solar panels. This will also reduce people's exposure to radiation that can cause serious illness and help reduce the urban carbon footprint with sustainable architecture.
“I want to create a better form of renewable energy that uses the world's natural resources. That it is close to people's lives, that it creates viable paths and mobilizes towards a sustainable and regenerative future ”, says Maigue.
