Tech company unveils tiny spheres that outperform solar panels using both sun and artificial light — and the company says they could hit 60 times the current capacity

Tech company unveils tiny spheres that outperform solar panels using both sun and artificial light — and the company says they could hit 60 times the current capacity

Solar panels may be replaced by light-catching spheres if innovation company WAVJA's ingenious contraptions fulfill their potential.

That's because the business, which has operations in New York City, says its experts have created tiny globes — from a little more than an inch to nearly 4 inches in size — that can harness both sunlight and artificial light to make electricity, according to the manufacturer.

Called a Photon Energy System, the tech uses "multiple layers of cutting-edge materials in specialized spheres," according to Executive President Shereen Chen, who outlined a list of performance metrics in a video. Each one has a specification that's multiple times better than traditional panels.

The spheres, which resemble tiny Death Stars (or, perhaps for a more niche Star Wars reference, normal-sized training remotes), are 30 times smaller than solar panels, with 7.5 times the output. Astoundingly, she said they are more than 200 times more efficient.

"It revolutionizes how we harness sunlight," Chen said.

In the clip, four spheres are shown sitting atop a square-shaped device, possibly a part of the system that converts light to electricity. Typically, there's no external battery connection involved. Chen said the invention is a "separate battery system."

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For the example scenario, the spheres are shown powering a battery. Chen later notes that the power pack can be connected to the system "in various ways compared to solar panels."

Throughout the video, LED lights are used to energize the setup, which in turn charges tablets and phones. The vision gets fairly futuristic from there. Renderings shared by Chen show concept big rigs and flying machines powered by groups of spheres, all providing a 24-hour electricity supply regardless of the weather conditions.

One concept closer to reality is a vehicle being tested to run on a package of 20 spheres, per Chen.

"You are actually looking at real time, current, proof of concept that we are working on," she said about the car.

The tour of the future wrapped up with a rendering of a community powered by a bank of spheres. If the tech can in fact provide the power as advertised, it will be an amazing feat. The third generation is said to be 60 times more powerful than a similar-sized solar panel, per the clip.

"Our commitment to innovation drives us to create transformative solutions," Chen says.

WAVJA cites planet-warming-fueled extreme weather, forest fires, and other calamities as inspiration for the innovations. Its designers even have a proposed fire-extinguishing drone, powered by its spheres, that will "patrol forests for extended periods of time and extinguish fires promptly upon discovery."

Solar innovations are marking impressive milestones. A team in Japan is working on a flexible sun-catching material that can survive a run through a washing machine. But even common sense can provide big results in the effort to be more sustainable. Simply replacing your old light bulbs with LEDs can save you hundreds of dollars a year while also negating the creation of hundreds of pounds of air pollution.

As for the big picture, while WAVJA doesn't get deep into how the technology works, the concept offers appealing potential. The company is looking for partners to start bringing the technology to action, from powering devices to industrial settings, according to its website.

"The future of energy is bright, sustainable, and within reach," Chen said in the clip.