Did you know that solar panels have a 15–25 year lifespan and are disposed of in landfills instead of being recycled in Ireland? Working with Alternus Energy, a solar panel farm company the brief was to create a scalable product that repurposed their decommissioned solar panels.
Although the materials in the panels have a high degree of recyclable potential, the actual recycling process is very labour-intensive, generates a lot of greenhouse gasses, and is expensive
I pitched three possible concepts to the company ranging from solar tile roofing to working alongside services such as Dublin Bus to create new and improved sustainable bus shelters but also creating sliding doors for sheds and séomras. However, their response indicated that they desired something that could be easily produced in large quantities. I took this onboard and gave them Solar Surface, and they responded amazingly.
With a sustainable makeover made from a decommissioned solar panel, solar surface takes the well-known table and advances it into the future.
Solar surface is created by sliding on two leg profiles made from recycled aluminium pallets onto either end of the panel. The weight of the panel and the friction between the materials allows the table to stand without the need of any screws or straps making it easy to assemble and to take apart.
Solar Surface prototype showing slide on leg profiles.
User Interaction with Solar Surface
Solar Surface was a huge success with the client, so much so that I will be continuing this project with the company in the hope to manufacture a market ready Solar Surface and make this concept a reality.
Through my research, I discovered that large-scale solar farms decommission panels once their health declines below 50%. This revelation inspired a novel concept that aligns with Solar Surface. Instead of discarding functioning panels, they could be repurposed to power Solar Surface in outdoor environments. This innovative approach introduces potential features like charging capabilities and powering various electronic devices
