Tired of moving solar-powered Christmas lights, a seventh grader built a tracker that lets gravity do the work.
Jason Chang was sick of his mother asking him to adjust the family's solar-powered Christmas lights to get more sun, so he devised a solution with big potential. The 13-year-old seventh grader at Worcester Academy in Massachusetts created a solar tracker that utilizes water and gravity to move a solar panel without the need for a motor, a sunlight sensor or electricity to power the mechanism.
The prototype was less than $25 and generated about 20 percent more voltage than a stationary panel in outdoor tests, CBS Boston reports. The contraption tackles a basic limitation of fixed solar panels: the inability to change position as the sun moves across the sky. This teenager's bright idea is attracting national attention. Here's how it works.
Chang's invention is similar to a seesaw. A small solar panel is mounted on a rotating wooden structure, with water dripping into a bucket on one side. The frame tilts the panel throughout the day as the bucket fills, increasing its weight. There's no sensor needed to determine the sun's position, and the drip rate is adjusted to keep the panel tilting at approximately the correct speed.
