Its a sunny time forsolar power and for good reason: its abundant, renewable, and sustainable.
As the world is turning towards alternative energy sources, solar is the fastest growing renewable.
In fact, it accountsfor over half of the 302GW of renewable capacityinstalled internationally in 2021.
But theres still a long way to go.
And one sector that solar can have a seismic difference?
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Three of them are solar-powered headphones: theUrbanista Los Angeles, theUrbanista Phoenix, and theAdidas RPT-02 Sol.
To find out how this all started, I spoke with Giovanni Fili, the companys founder and CEO.
Likewise, Exegers dye can absorb the light from any angle under any light conditions, indoors or outdoors.
According to Fili, even if Powerfoyle gets partial light exposure, it still works.
How customizable is Powerfoyle?
Thats where the cells unique chemistry and our free-form printing technique come in, Exegers CEO says.
Integrating a power source
According to Fili, producing the solar cells is a fast-paced process.
We print with high speed printers.
Endless battery life?
But how exactly does this work in practice?
Powerfoyle harvests electricity in all light conditions: from sunshine to artificial indoor light.
Naturally, the solar cell charges the most when the sun is bright.
I asked Fili how long it takes for the headphones to charge.
They charge all the time.
Thats the point, he says.
Thats what the customers care about.
With normal use the headphones will always be fully charged, youll almost never deplete the battery.
This means an hour in sunlight should give you roughly an hour of playtime.
Of course, when the battery is full, the product isnt going to charge further than that.
But on the other hand, its constantly charging.
Its that you dont really need to think about charging them that much anymore.
But whats the extra cost consumers have to pay for this key in of energy independence?
The same goes for theAdidas RPT-02 Solpriced at 229, compared to the non-solarAdidas RTP-01that cost 169.
There are zero emissions coming from Powefoyles production, Fili says.
These high numbers, however, bring a significant environmental advantage: increased consumer engagement with sustainable technologies.
Sometimes I wonder how I did that, suggesting that the tech might work in 10 or 12 years.
You need people who want to be on the ride for a long time.
This is a long term game.
And we managed to find them.
Up until now we have raised 180 million.
Despite the unfavorable odds, Fili saw a great market opportunity.
Consumers are still unfamiliar with self-powered solar devices, he adds.
But he believes that the market is finally getting traction.
For thirteen years nobody believed us, he explains.
But when you see now that were partnering with companies like Adidas, you know that the technology works.
Because if it is, you will be able to sell it.
Story byIoanna Lykiardopoulou
Ioanna is a writer at TNW.
With a background in the humanities, she has a soft spot for social impact-enabling technologies.
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