Awesome Solar

With enough solar panels and sunlight, it might be possible to keep a vehicle driving indefinitely. ProjectAir put that idea to the test with a DIY R/C airplane with solar panels all over its wings to see how long he could keep it airborne. The foam plane needed efficient solar panels and an autopilot system to keep it circling. We look forward to seeing more.

Drew Builds Stuff previously made an electric vehicle that recharges itself with solar power while driving. While it did add driving range, Drew wanted to see if he could push the idea further and make it add enough range to keep driving indefinitely. We wonder how long it would run for in the Arctic Circle, where the sun lasts all day and night in the summertime.

Many of us caught a glimpse of the 2023 annular solar eclipse, but through most filters and lenses, it just looked like a blurry crescent.  Frozen Spectrum shows off an incredible bit of time-lapse footage of the event captured with a custom solar telescope. The detail in the 8K video is unlike any we’ve seen of the sun during an eclipse.

Most battery electric vehicles require substantial energy, making solar charging pretty impractical. Drew Builds Stuff shows how, with a light and efficient design, it’s possible to create an EV that can recharge itself with the sun. His speedy little 4-wheeler can go about 100 km (62 miles) per charge and can nearly double that range on a sunny day.

Turn your outdoor space into an outdoor living room with Nocturne’s cordless floor lamp. It recharges during the day with a solar panel and has a built-in Bluetooth speaker for entertaining. It’s weatherproof, so it’ll withstand rain and harsh sunlight. Its base can be filled with water or sand to keep it from tipping over.

Remember when you were a kid and burnt leaves with the sun and a magnifying glass? This is just like that, only bigger. For his graduation presentation, Jelle Seegers built a metal rig with a handmade fresnel lens on top that can concentrate solar rays tightly enough to smelt metal. It can achieve temperatures up to 1000ºC.

Jack Mason’s solar-powered wristwatch has a vibrant purple and black face that sits beneath a sapphire crystal. Its 20mm black strap is made from recycled ocean plastic and has a Velcro closure. SuperLuminova numbers and hands make it easy to read in the dark, and its stainless steel case is water-resistant to 100 meters.

Solar energy is out there for the taking, but is it really free? Wren from Corridor Crew digs into the realities of generating power from various energy sources, and illustrates the number of solar panels and space we’d need to replace dangerous fossil fuels with clean solar energy.

No more dead batteries. The solar-powered quartz movement of the Light-Wave Watch by Nixon is a timely stroke of genius, and eco-friendly with its recycled plastic case and comfy band made from recovered ocean trash. Good minimalist design and durability plus good planet stewardship equals a wonderful daily timekeeper.

A great everyday watch featuring Timex’s renowned durability, quality materials, a rugged styling. It has a solar panel behind its face, which keeps it running even with indoor light, and is water-resistant to 50m. While we prefer the Fast Wrap strap, the watch is also available with leather or fabric straps, as well as a blue face.

Designed by Marjan van Aubel, the Sunne is a modern ambient lighting source that harvests solar energy during the daytime, providing illumination at night. The light hangs in a window and automatically turns on at dusk. Its touch control offers three color settings: rise, light, and set. It’s made from anodized aluminum and acrylic.

Like many flashlights, GoSun’s 280-lumen torch can be recharged via its USB port. But it can also harness energy from the sun, providing an ongoing source of light in the event of a power outage. It works as either a spotlight or lantern, and has a red light emergency strobe on its side. Save 12% in The Awesomer Shop.

Filmmaker Seán Doran processed about a week’s worth of data captured by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory to create this awe-inspiring UHD video of the Sun’s activity. Max out the resolution, go full screen, dim the lights, and crank up the audio for a truly hypnotic journey to our Solar System’s number one life-giver.

Electric bicycles are a fast and fun way to get around. However, they have limited range due to their small battery packs. Peter Sripol wanted to see if he could build an eBike that never needs recharging as long as the sun is shining. The downside? The trailer of solar panels he has to drag along. Build starts at 2:20.

Capture the energy of the sun while you backpack or camp out. This set of solar cells weighs just 1.65 lb and unfolds to maximize its surface area. Simply plug your devices into its three USB ports, and let them recharge while you enjoy the outdoors. Save 33% in The Awesomer Shop.

Startup Lightyear is showing off a pure electric sedan that can gain up to 7.5 miles per hour of added range while in sunlight. It still plugs in for its base charge, but the solar panels covering its hood, roof, and trunk are designed to increase its range. It’s ideal for stop, start, and slow traffic for minimizing trips to the outlet.