en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en nds fi es es ru en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en en
Spotted: Award-winning Dutch designer Marjan van Aubel has introduced a new line of home products that integrate solar power into everyday living. The first of these is the self-powered Sunne lamp: the oblong aluminium lamp has three settings, is controlled via an app and requires no power other than what it gathers itself during the day. The lamp’s integrated battery stores solar energy and is turned on and off by the app, or by tapping the top of the light itself.
Designed to hang unobtrusively in a window, the lamp’s settings are Rise, Light and Set. Light is bright enough to read with, and Rise and Set brings the natural colours of the beginning and end of a day inside. Users can dim and brighten the light, or put it at either setting at any time. The design team purposefully kept the components simple for an unfussy look. The solar cell doubles as a sensor, allowing the lamp to turn on automatically when it begins to get dark.
At its brightest, the lamp shines at 135 Lux. At Set, the level of light is 35 Lux. Battery life is 14 hours. Currently live on Kickstarter, the lamp campaign has already met its funding goal, and so the team has begun refining the design, assembly and accompanying app.
Van Aubel’s innovative approach to design has featured in Springwise multiple times before, most recently in her plastic solar panels that look like stained glass. Before that, her design for coloured glass panels capable of powering individual devices was featured. It will be interesting to see how she continues pushing forward the democratisation of alternative energy sources.
Explore more: Architecture & Design Innovations | Sustainability Innovations
China is leading the way in terms of annual increases in renewable energy generation, and is near the top of the global table when it comes to investment in renewable energy as percentage of GDP. There are significant variations between countries however, with many around the world unable to provide enough data to even be included in the analysis. Despite overall growth in the development of sustainable energy sources, it isn’t steady, which makes it difficult to pin long term plans to use predictions. Policy-makers need impetus from the general populace, alongside technical advancements from innovators, to help navigate and create strong, sustainable and wide-reaching networks.
Solar-powered sleeping pods to help shelter the homeless
Solar-powered refrigerators to cut food spoilage in developing countries
Windows that change colour and become solar cells when heated
Our expertise in spotting the latest innovations is the best resource to empower your team’s future planning.