John Hingley has developed a carpet which produces enough electricity to power phones, cameras and even computers! The best part of this solar panel carpet innovation, however, is the fact that it uses what is arguably the most sustainable energy source we have: the Sun!
Who is John Hingley?
John Hingley graduated from Cambridge University with a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in engineering. He built his career in technical sales roles and founded Renovagen towards the end of 2012–a company which aims to manufacture the solar panel carpet. On a personal level, Hingley enjoys scuba diving, squashing, golfing, skiing, hiking and mountaineering.
How does the Solar Panel Carpet work?
We all know that Solar power is on the rise with many great usage and benefits. John Hingley’s carpet is in a steel container that contains a long spool of solar panels. It utilises a strong flexible plastic that rolls out into a 50 metre system in a couple of minutes.
The solar panel carpet essentially acts as a microcosm of of our solar system. It stores harvested energy from the Sun in batteries so it can use the energy later. It uses copper indium gallium selenide solar cells (CIGS) that are bonded with tensile fabric. A prototype model generated 6KW (which is double the average solar array in a family home); however, Renovagen aims to have a final product that has a capacity up to 18KW. Read here for more details.
Source: Renovagen Roll-Array Multi-Gen from John Hingley on Vimeo.
How will it benefit me?
There are two clear categories of the people the solar panel carpet will benefit.
Firstly, solar panel carpets can be a vital aid in emergency situations. If electricity is cut due to a catastrophe such as an earthquake then a solar panel carpet could provide enough energy to establish a crucial communications line.
Secondly, as Hingley himself is a keen explorer and mountaineer, it comes as no surprises that the solar panel carpet will be useful for adventurers who do not have a fixed power supply. It will ensure that your mobile phone is fully-charged so every time a stunning picture opportunity presents itself, you will be able to capture it and earn bragging rights on Instagram.
Overall, it seems the this solar panel carpet concept from Renovagen has the potential to be both a life-saver and also a beneficiary for explorers. It provides a both reliable and sustainable energy source–a rarity today!
Click here to support the solar panel carpet project through Crowdcube or know more about solar power usage such as the Solar Charging Table or GoSun Grill.
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