# Solar-Powered Toilets The Solar-Powered ‘Sol-Char’ Was Designed to Improve Sanitation By Itai Buenahora | Published 2014-03-18 | Tech Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/www.trendhunter.com-solarpowered-toilet References: [motherboard.vice](http://motherboard.vice.com/en_ca/read/this-fiber-optic-toilet-burns-poop-with-the-power-of-the-sun) A team of engineers introduces this whimsical solar-powered toilet, called the ‘Sol-Char,’ using “concentrated solar power to scorch and disinfect human waste, turning feces into a useful byproduct called biochar.” We as humans all need to go, and some 2.5-billion people do not have the proper facilities to do so. Roughly a third of the world’s population lacks sanitation, leading to susceptibility of disease and filth. The initiative is to build self-contained blocks of toilets, much like [Coca-Cola’s](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ten-toes) community blocks, which provides clean water and power for phone charging, essentially turning toilets into a community center. By converting human waste into biochar, this toilet thus enables sanitary waste disposal without any major infrastructure investments. The ‘Sol-Char’ is the future of eco-friendly washrooms. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 4.6/10 - Popularity: 50% | Activity: 79% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Gen Z, Gen Alpha, Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, Europe, Asia ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Tech](https://www.trendhunter.com/tech) > [Science](https://www.trendhunter.com/science) ## Key Themes ### Why This Trend Is Growing - **Concentrated Solar Power:** Exploring concentrated solar power for innovative and eco-friendly solutions in various industries. - **Sanitation Solutions:** Developing innovative sanitation solutions to address the global lack of proper facilities and improve health and hygiene. - **Waste-to-byproduct Conversion:** Exploring opportunities to convert waste materials into useful byproducts for sustainability and resource management. ### Industries Being Reshaped - **Renewable Energy:** Leveraging concentrated solar power technology in the renewable energy sector for cleaner and more sustainable energy production. - **Infrastructure Development:** Integrating self-contained toilet blocks into infrastructure development projects to improve sanitation and hygiene in underserved communities. - **Waste Management:** Implementing waste-to-byproduct conversion technologies to improve waste management practices and create value from waste materials. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Water-Free Telescoping Toilet Designs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/clesana-x1.md) - [Compact Portable Toilets](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/clesana-x1-camping-toilet.md) - [Compact Portable Toilet Designs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/portable-toilets.md) - [Smart Toilet Designs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/smart-toilets.md) - [Martian Toilet Prototypes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/martian-toilet.md) - [Feature-Packed Smart Toilets](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/neolet.md) - [Enclosed Japanese Park Toilets](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/toiletowa.md) - [Inflatable Portable Toilets](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/airpot.md) - [Off-Grid Solar-Powered Saunas](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/thermasol.md)