This Fabric Turns Solar and Wind Energy into Electricity
References: nature & arstechnica
Techniques for creating sustainable energy are increasingly common as concerns about climate change continue to escalate, but scientists have developed an energy-generating fabric that puts a sustainable energy source in an unlikely place: in people's clothing. The new technology comes from a team of researchers at China's National Natural Science Foundation and it is able to generate electricity through solar energy and wind energy.
The sustainable energy-generating fabric merges two lightweight polymer fibers, one that's a microcable solar cell and another that acts as a nanogenerator for converting mechanical energy into electricity (as would need to happen for generating wind power.)
Far from being just a theoretical fabric, the Chinese researchers were able to charge a cell phone and power an electronic watch with just a small swatch of the fabric.
The sustainable energy-generating fabric merges two lightweight polymer fibers, one that's a microcable solar cell and another that acts as a nanogenerator for converting mechanical energy into electricity (as would need to happen for generating wind power.)
Far from being just a theoretical fabric, the Chinese researchers were able to charge a cell phone and power an electronic watch with just a small swatch of the fabric.
Trend Themes
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Energy-generating Clothing — The development of energy-generating fabrics can create disruptive innovation opportunities in the fashion and textile industries for wearable technology and sustainable fashion.
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Microcable Solar Cells — The use of microcable solar cells in fabric technology can lead to disruptive innovation opportunities in the renewable energy and solar industries for lightweight, portable power sources.
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Nanogenerator Technology — The development of nanogenerator technology in textile innovation can lead to disruptive innovation opportunities in the wind energy and energy harvesting industries for generating power from motion.
Industry Implications
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Fashion — The development of energy-generating clothing has disruptive innovation opportunities in the fashion industry for creating wearable technology for fashion.
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Renewable Energy — The use of microcable solar cells in fabric technology has disruptive innovation opportunities in the renewable energy industry for creating lightweight and portable power sources.
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Textile — The development of energy-generating fabrics has disruptive innovation opportunities in the textile industry for sustainable fashion and wearable technology.
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