Sheila Kennedy has truly set an example of what one can do with solar power. It’s odd to associate textiles with solar power, but thanks to Sheila and expertise from her team this has turned into a reality.
Textiles were always known for their design, colour, feel but now they will be known for their ability to convert sun’s energy into electricity. Kennedy is an opus in mixing of solar cell technology and using textiles for this is definitely not a big deal for her. Thin-film photovoltaic textiles are essentially solar panels created from organic photovoltaic and even though they are not effective as the silicon based type, they can be molded and modified without any manufacturing process.
Her team members from KVA Matx designed the Soft House, a structure that can create close to 16,000 watt-hours of electricity by transforming household curtains into flexible, semi-transparent, solar collectors. Also the kvarch website implies that the product produces about half of what an average house uses in a day. Currently, the solar textile has exorbitant rates and couple of years down the line the prices will surely be more consumer friendly.
The whole exercise reassures that there is no stop to creativity and renewable energy technologies being incorporated is just the beginning.
Via: inhabitat
