Everyday some new concepts related to energy conservation come up.  This time I ran into a solar window blind  system.  Well, initially the idea kind of raised eyebrows but it also makes some sense.  All houses and businesses have  windows and many of them have blinds to filter or block out light during the day.  If you tend to close the windows to  protect the room from the sun, why not have the blinds act like solar panels and generate energy?  In this case the  blinds serve the energy in form of light at night when you need light in the room.

 The proposed solution is able to replace current lamps and does not require any electrical supply.

          HOW DOES IT WORK?

The solar blind creates a link between indoor and outdoor, taking the daylight during the day and giving it back at night. The advantage of the Venetian blind is that it has a large surface exposed to sunlight in a small, cumbersome object. With the revolving blades we can follow the course of the sun in order to catch a maximum of energy. Furthermore, we can adjust the position of the lamp to obtain various lighting effects. The produced energy can be used to supply a computer or other devices, by means of an inverter.

 The object will combine two newly-discovered technologies: Flexible solar cells, and electroluminescent foil which requires little energy. Blight is durable and ecological because power cables are not needed and solar power is clean. This improved Venetian blind could be used in the household as well as in office applications.

This new solution is not without questions.  What will be the cost of such blinds?  How durable will the technology be? I don’t know what will come out of this project but the concept is intriguing enough that I will follow up with them and see if they ever decide to manufacture the solution.