Solar Blinds Provide the Light

As solar technology becomes more prevalent, cooler applications keep springing up. A great new example is the Solar Vertical Lamp by Korean designers Yoon-Hui Kim and Eun Kyung Kim, a set of vertical blinds that provide light from solar power.

The blinds are outfitted with mini photovoltaics and LED pixels. With the blinds closed during the day, the PVs soak up power from the sunlight. Then at night, lamp or chandelier-shaped LED pixels glow, providing hip, eco-friendly ambiance.

The blinds are a great marriage of design and sustainability. They use a common fixture of any home (blinds) and add renewable energy and super-efficient, long-lasting LEDs. The Solar Vertical Lamp isn't available for purchase yet, but we're looking forward to even more great designs from this team.

via Inhabitat

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Slight change
written by Meredith, November 25, 2008

This design would be better in my opinion if the blinds didn't light up in a specific shape, but rather in vertical lines or something. I just think it would be really inconvenient to have this random light shape that you either need to put a table under, or let float in mid air. Could be pretty tacky. I really like the overall idea though.

Question
written by Matt, November 25, 2008

Can you turn them off?

Really neat.
written by Jean, November 25, 2008

I think if the entire blinds are covered in those, you could get some pretty dramatic effects. Imagine a checkerboard pattern, that would be totally sweet.

Lamp-shaped?
written by Shawn, November 25, 2008

Why would you want a lamp shape? I'd do something like a peace-sign, or Star Wars Rebel Alliance insignia.

Like Meredith said, a more distributed pattern would be better too. Then the light wouldn't be so concentrated.

Innovation won't solve the problem.
written by Bryan Bell, November 25, 2008

This type of innovation is truly brilliant but we need to do more than that. We need to stop throwing perfectly functional stuff away! I own a hauling company and you'd be amazed at the stuff we get asked to haul away. I'm all for new innovations but we need to stop disgarding things unnecessarily too.

Why not just open the blinds?
written by Philock McCready, November 28, 2008

It seems silly to embed a light in the blinds when all that is needed is to open the blinds to let in the light from outside.

If it is privacy that is a problem, then a circularly polarizing interference graticle will do this passively.

Blinds closed all day?
written by Pam, March 07, 2009

So let me get this straight..you keep your blinds closed all day so that it is dark in the house so that you have a weird glowing light at night?

Brilliant idea, but dum comments
written by Michael, March 07, 2009

This is a fantastic idea, but Philock and Pam what are yall thinking??? What happens at night? it get's dark correct? so during the day while you are at work, the light will be absorbed and then when you get home at night or just at night in general, you can turn on the lights to brighten the room,
Come on think before you comment fella's

...
written by wedding dresses, October 13, 2009

The blinds are outfitted with mini photovoltaics and LED pixels. With the blinds closed during the day, the PVs soak up power from the sunlight. Then at night, lamp or chandelier-shaped LED pixels glow, providing hip, eco-friendly ambiance.

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