{"id":439252,"date":"2023-05-01T06:30:00","date_gmt":"2023-05-01T04:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/innovationorigins.com\/?p=439252"},"modified":"2023-05-01T06:30:00","modified_gmt":"2023-05-01T04:30:00","slug":"origami-solar-panel-allows-harnessing-the-sun-everywhere","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ioplus.nl\/archive\/en\/origami-solar-panel-allows-harnessing-the-sun-everywhere\/","title":{"rendered":"Origami solar panel allows harnessing the sun everywhere"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Historians still debate the origins of origami \u2013 the recreational paper folding technique. In our times, it has become more than a dedicated pastime craft, as NASA engineers got inspired by it to design exploration rockets<\/a>. Coming to more down-to-earth reinterpretations of origami, Levante<\/a> is an Italian start-up that used origami\u2019s principles to create a foldable and portable solar panel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The idea was born in the minds of Sara Plaga and Kim-Joar Myklebust, partners in life and business, both in love with sailing and camping. Their need to produce green energy at every moment \u2013 whether off the Mediterranean coast or on top of the Alps \u2013 prompted them to design something new that could positively impact the environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe decided to start the company as our first daughter was born,\u201d recalls Sara Plaga. \u201cIt took a few years for us to have her. At that time, we did not want to get back to our employee jobs but to be the ones to decide how much time to spend with her. My husband and I felt invincible and decided to start Levante.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Flexible by nature<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Being two meters long and a meter and a half wide when open, the panel can produce as much as 300 watts\/hour to power Sara and Kim\u2019s camper appliances. Weighting about 10 kilograms and being easily foldable, the panel is as portable as any other camping gear. While folded, the device can still generate energy \u2013 about 50 watts\/hour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Camping and sailing both involve a good deal of adaptability to different scenarios. Plaga and Myklebust translated this spirit into their product too. \u201cWe wanted the panel to be as modular as possible. Think of a GoPro: one buys the accessories to fit the purpose. Similarly, we made the device adaptable to the user\u2019s needs. More solar modules can be added and interchanged without throwing away the framework \u2013 for more powerful ones, for instance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moreover, the origami solar panel can be installed and operated autonomously. In the case of a camper, a couple of cables connect it to the vehicle\u2019s battery. Meant for travel, it can still work as a green energy source in household balconies<\/a>, too \u2013 when installing solar modules on the roof is not an option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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From left to right: the solar panel wide open, folded, and installed on a boat. – \u00a9 Levante<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Testing on a famous sailing boat <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Coherent to their adventurous spirit, Levante\u2019s co-founders chose an unusual way of testing their prototype. As part of their experimentation phase, they cooperated with Dan and Kika, a couple living in an electric-converted boat \u2013 Uma. Besides cruising around the seas, the duo has a YouTube channel \u2013 Sailing Uma<\/a> \u2013 with over 400,000 subscribers, where they publish video content on their life and adventures around the waters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cKim and I ourselves followed \u2013 and supported \u2013 Sailing Uma,\u201d explains Plaga. \u201cCoincidentally, we needed to test our prototype. Trying it out in a vessel was the best benchmark we could test it in as if the technology would work there \u2013 confronted with saltiness and wind \u2013 it would perform well in any other condition. We reached out to them, and they immediately offered to collaborate. Last summer, we spent a month on their boat, working on the prototype.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the Sailing Uma channel, a few videos show the work on the prototype of the origami solar panel, as the boat became a floating lab for the technology. To this day, the two YouTubers are part of the development team, as they are the ones who test new versions of the panel. Moreover, the collaboration helped create more awareness about the project and attract the first customers. \u201cWe received 10 pre-orders, all by people who intend to use the panel on their boat,\u201d Plaga adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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