Sun-harvesting textiles power remote villages

Portable solar-powered lights that combine nanotechnology with local crafts could help bring electricity to some of the nearly two billion people without access to electricity.

The Portable Light Project, a non-profit initiative led by Kennedy & Violich Architecture and Global Solar Energy, in the United States, inserts tiny solar cells into shirts, woven items and bags produced by remote communities in developing countries. The project aims to integrate clean energy and lighting with indigenous textile production. This helps local communities adopt the new technology and add value to it through their own work.

The project provides kits — containing a thin, two watt solar film, rechargeable battery, USB port, and an LED light — and training on how to weave them into garments.

Source: SciDev