Filipino Student Invents Solar Walls and Windows That Don’t Even Need The Sun To Work

• Carvey Ehren Maigue, a student from Mapua University, has won the first-ever sustainability awards at the James Dyson Awards 2020.
• This is for his brilliant creation of AuREUS – a sustainable alternative to concrete walls and glass windows.
• AuReus made use of rotten crops to create UV-absorbing walls and windows.
• These wall and window panels can power up solar plates which can then be converted into electric energy.
• To top it all off, the walls and window panels can make any building a vertical solar farm in five beautiful colors.

Carvey Ehren Maigue, a 27-year-old student from Mapua University, just became the first-ever Global Sustainability Winner at the James Dyson Award 2020 for creating solar walls and windows from rotten fruits and vegetables.

Maigue’s invention, a system which he called AuREUS, is a new material that can work as solar walls and windows to convert UV lights into electricity.

By making use of crop waste and combining it with the same technology that creates the Northern and Southern lights, he created a material that absorbs stray UV light from the sun and emits visible lights. It then converts the captured light into photovoltaic (PV) modules. Both AuREUS devices were fitted with regulating circuits to process the voltage output and allow battery charging, storage, or direct utilization of electricity.

The AuREUS solar walls and windows work through UV Sequestration which creates a better environment for people outdoors.

This shows the sketches of rigs and prototypes during development and UV testing.

Maigue’s AuREUS did not become the international winner of the James Dyson Award 2020. But his unique solar walls and windows panel became the first-ever sustainability award winner.

Founder James Dyson handpicked the AuREUS system from among 1,800 entries from 27 different countries. According to him, Maigue’s invention solved his concern about covering agricultural lands to make solar farms.

The AuREUS devices proved that we can “create clean energy on existing structures, like windows, within cities,” says Dyson.

Dyson also shared that what impressed him the most was the student’s persistence. According to Dyson, Maigue also joined in 2018 but failed to make the national stage. Still, he did not give up and continued to improve his project further.

According to Dyson:

“AuREUS is impressive in the way it makes sustainable use of waste crops, but I’m particularly impressed by Carvey’s resolve and determination. His bright idea to use upcycled crop waste develops a closed loop system. This element of his invention is particularly clever and shows the close link between farming and technology.”

For Maigue, this award is “a beginning and an end.” He shared it is the beginning for AuREUS and the ending for his doubts about whether it would be of global relevance.

“I want to create a better form of renewable energy that uses the world’s natural resources, is close to people’s lives, forging achievable paths and rallying towards a sustainable and regenerative future,” he shared.

Maigue’s award-winning creation, the AuREUS system devices – Borealis Solar Window and Astralis Solar Wall – which he calls his ‘greatest achievement’ to date.

The Dyson Sustainability Award gave him a cash award amounting to 30,000 pounds, or Php1.9 million.

“There is always a need to solve problems and the number and breadth of this year’s entries show that the future of invention is bright.”

says Tom Crawford, Dyson’s global director of sustainability.

Tom Crawford said that this year’s stage saw a record-breaking number of entries for the James Dyson Awards that showcased the unfiltered minds of the youth—all of whom need a seat on the deciding committee for addressing global challenges.

If you are curious about Maigue’s creation, here’s a live demo for you.