SunSaluter

The SunSaluter is a solar panel rotator designed for the developing world. Using only the power of gravity with a water clock, the SunSaluter enables a solar panel to passively follow the sun throughout the day, boosting energy output by 30% and producing four liters of clean drinking water.

It is 30 times less expensive than conventional motorized solar panel rotators, much more reliable, and consumes no electricity itself.

How it works

At the beginning of the day, a user fills up two water containers to be used as a weight on one side of the metal arm and a counterweight on the other. After setting up the water containers, the water slowly drips out of the containers through a tube, which can be attached to a water filter. This slow drip creates a slow shift in weight, so throughout the day, the solar panel changes position and tilts as the sun moves across the sky, and the water drips out of the containers. This makes the solar panel perpendicular to the sun all day as it moves from sunrise to sunset.

At the end of the day, when the sun is down, the water has completely dripped out of the containers and through the filter, creating clean water. As a result, the solar panel has harvested 30% more energy from the sun by remaining perpendicular to the sun all day.