Blight uses solar cells on standard blinds to produce electricity
Blight, in this case, is not the death of plant tissue, but rather a very ingenious entry in the Greener Gadgets Design Competition. It’s a very simple idea: put small solar panels on standard Venetian blinds to collect energy, and then use that energy to light the room at night. Blight uses the rotating blinds to follow the course of the sun during the day to maximize energy collection, and an energy-efficient, electroluminescent foil to emit light when desired. The energy collected during the day may also be used to power other devices by means of a power inverter. The designer, Vincent Gerkens, states: “With Blight we have not produced a new object; we have just created the design of an everlasting product: the Venetian blind. We use all the current functions of this object and add a little technology to give it a new function - to catch solar energy and convert it into electricity.”
While Blight is just a concept for right now, its just one of many very promising designs in the Greener Gadgets Design Competition, which is part of the second annual Greener Gadgets Conference. This conference, which will be held on February 27th in New York City, brings together designers and entrepreneurs to discuss how sustainability will play a role in the future of consumer electronics. You can view the top 50 entries here, and vote on which ones you like the best. The top 10 gadgets will be judged live at the conference. Voting ends February 20th.
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