BLIGHT – Vincent Gerkens

Friday, 20 March 2009 00:00

The sun provides us with our daily energy needs. How can we use it directly for indoor applications? Blight, created by Belgian designer Vincent Gerkens, is an optimal indoor lighting solution that is able to replace current lamps without any need of electric supply. With Blight he has not produced a new object; he has just created the design of an everlasting product: the Venetian blind. He has used all the current functions of this object and added a little technology to give it a new function - to catch solar energy and convert it into electricity.

This solar blind creates a link between indoor and outdoor, taking the daylight during the day and giving it back at night. The advantage of the Venetian blind is to have a large surface exposed to sunlight in a small, cumbersome object. With the revolving blades you can follow the course of the sun in order to catch a maximum of energy. Moreover you can adjust the position of the lamp to obtain various lighting effects. The energy that is produced can be used to supply a computer or other devices, by means of an inverter.

The object combines two newly-discovered technologies: Flexible solar cells, and electroluminescent foil which requires little energy. Blight is durable and ecological because power cables are not needed and solar power is clean. This improved Venetian blind could be used in the household as well as in office applications.