Did you know that melanin, the pigment in hair, is light sensitive and can be used as a conductor? Well, that’s what an 18 year old in Nepal recently discovered, and is now using human hair to replace silicon in solar panels. Since the price of hair is considerably cheaper than silicon, this enterprising youth may have just found a breakthrough technology to help bring down the cost of solar and give thousands of people in developing nations access to affordable renewable energy.
Malin Karki had already been trying to create affordable renewable energy from hydro currents for a few years, but the project had become too expensive. But then Karki, who attends school in Kathmandu, started reading a book by Stephan Hawking that discussed ways of creating static energy from hair. From this idea, Karki realized that melanin was one of the factors in energy conversion, and that it could possibly serve as a substitute conductor. He and four other classmates worked on a prototype, which they found could charge a cell phone or a pack of batteries for lighting.
The panels themselves are 15 inches square and can produce 9V or 18W of power and cost around $38 to produce. Karki thinks that if they were mass produced though, they would cost half as much. In Nepal, human hair costs about 25¢ for half a kilo and can last for several months. Hair is also basically a renewable resource and can be replenished by the owner of the solar panel as it wears out. This low cost and low tech device could be a revolutionary step in solar power bringing down the cost of the technology, bringing power to the masses and using materials which are common to everyone in the world.
Via Dvice & Daily Mail
This “invention” is an example of magical thinking. The students seem to think that because hair can hold a static electrical charge that it somehow contains electricity that can be extracted. The students also have seen studies using purified melanin to augment dyes in solar cells, and they leap to the conclusion that hair can generate solar energy. They also make the leap that, because purified melanin has been used as an electronic switch and, in that sense, behaves like a semiconductor, that melanin in hair can replace the doped silicon in solar cells. All of these conclusions are just plain wrong. The main problem is that the aforementioned experiments used purified melanin, not human hair. Like all convincing lies, there’s just enough truth to make this sound plausible. These students made a demo cell that students across the world make all the time. They added the “hair” factor and managed to dupe a reporter who didn’t know any better. Take my word for it. It’s bunk.
who the hell is speaking about it’s falseness. i have saw it working with my own eyes. You all are just babbling cuz u r jealous. And that davision oe edition whoever he is i swear to kill him if he cheats the idea you must really understand their economic situation and struggle just for a panel
Wow !! sustainble innovation ….combination of good brain n hair.
Wow !!! Sustainble inovation…combination of good brain n hair.
the effort is wonderful, it will be better to describing how it works.
You can build your own solar panels for UNDER $100 and Solar Water Heater for about $7 with the Ambigrid Plans!
That’s really weird. Where do you get all of that hair? I guess I better start raiding the local barber shops.
Until then, there are some DIY techniques that make solar power affordable for the average homeowner. This site has some reviews of the top solar panel guides:
http://www.reviewsuncensored.com
enjoy!
Jon
Demmm that’s some thinking right there. Too bad Africans men don’t have long hair, i would have get myself 1 of those right away and sustain it with my own hair..Funny.
That’s some cool innovation there and really commend you guys. The future depends on such ideas. Keep it up.
India is a key supplier of hair (dead and alive) to salons across the globe, an India hair weave (live hair) can cost the American woman between $2,000 to $4,000 a head based on length.
I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THE AMERICAN WOMAN FORGOING THEIR HAIR EXTENSIONS FOR ENERGY PRODUCTION.
Good Luck!
Holy biophilia batman!
This is a complete hoax. Hair is an insulator; see http://www.rafischer.com/hairtest.htm . Melanin does have some semiconductor properties as described here https://www.researchgate.net/publication/16014151_Semiconductor_properties_of_natural_melanins but it isn’t possible to use human hair as shown to generate electricity. I personally did some experiments and confirmed this.
I smell BS…
9V at 18 watts = 2 AMPS at 9 volts. The teenager is lying, the summary is lying, or whole thing is fake.
2A across hair… A coathanger running 2A would probably melt, and we expect 2A across hair to be fine?
Honestly… that is some crazy shit! To think, we very well begin harvesting hair for power.
Wow, life sure is strange.
What wonderful forward thinking by this young and insightful man. I hope he patents that idea before someone else profiteers (i.e. Edison).