Filipino Inventor, 27, Named First-Ever Winner of $40K James Dyson Award
A 27-year-old Filipino has become the first-ever winner of James Dyson Award’s Sustainability Award for 2020 by turning spoiled, damaged crops into renewable energy.
What is the invention about: AuREUS, or Aurora Renewable Energy and UV Sequestration, is a technology invented by Carvey Ehren Maigue, a 27-year-old engineering student from Mapua University in the Philippines, according to ABS-CBN.
It uses spoiled and damaged crops by upcycling them into solar panels, which can then be attached to other parts of the house, such as windows and walls.
“High energy particles are absorbed by luminescent particles that re-emit them as visible light,” Maigue said in his explanation to James Dyson Award. “Similar type of luminescent particles (derivable from certain fruits and vegetables) were suspended in a resin substrate and is used as the core technology on both devices. When hit by UV light, the parti