I wonder where do all the harsh commenters come from. There are different ways of saying things, even unpleasant ones. I don't know for a fact, but it seems to me that a couple of commenters here are simply frustrated. If you can only be "brutally honest" or "just say what is on your mind", and lack the basic social skill of soften the blow, I guess you´re not so good at communicating. Which is sad for a designer.

J'adore. C'est beau, élégant, écologique. Je ne sais pas s'il arrive suffisamment de soleil chez moi pour que ça marche?

Excellent concept, what is the expected lifetime of the electro luminescent foil, because with current technologies it wouldn't last longer than a light bulb, leading to the question that would a consumer want to replace the venetian blinds every 5-10000 hrs? Lumen output?

I love the idea of these blinds and would like to have them in my home. I would suggest changing the name, because "blight" has negative connotations. Now about: UNblind? (This would suggest getting rid of blindness by bringing in new light.)

This is the best one of this very long list. It will cut down on heating and cooling costs (which vastly outweigh lighting and electronics). And it's a luxury convenience product people would want regardless of the environmental benefits.

I have seen this concept last year in Japan 21th koizumi design award. So it is not fresh to me.

where i buy?

Interesting concept. I like it. I want to have it.

Très bonne idée. Comme les autres peut-être revoir le nom.

Ive seen this concept before. It was done in the 90's by either Philips or a japanese electronics manufacturer...not that it takes away from the design, but the idea itself is nothing new...sorry to burst any bubbles...

the idea of using shadow maker into energy producer is always great but I think curtains are very fragile and frequently in bad shape after few movement.

brilliant design always lies in the simplest of ideas . excellent work my friend .

Vincentgerkens.be, a great man. (ps: for the name : f*ck the name, take the idea.)

I think the idea of taking something that is meant to block the sun and then turning it into something that harnesses it, while blocking it is fantastic. A much more natural and effective consumer product compared to many of the other concepts. Could see this leading into all kinds of variations (of lights / blinds, etc.). Love the pic of it "rolled up" to create a more concentrated light source, although you lose the privacy aspect. A simple effective no-compromise solution that

I hope it fonction too with the belgian natural light... if not, I m going to Mexico!! thx love

Fantastic Idea it's just the name that is aweful. How about Sun Blades? Venetian Shineds? Shineds? Sun Catchers? Energy Blinds? No more "hey they're shades for light let's call them Shites!"

vercion many other out there, but unfortunately the conditions were Demaci specific and solar technology is still very expensive, but will be sensational in the future.

Blight: Noun; -A plant disease esp. one caused by mildews rusts and smuts -A thing that spoils or damages something - An ugly neglected or rundown condition of an urban area ...Like the idea but the names gotta go.

I agree! Great product. Taking a product that is just hanging there in the sun and turning into an useful energy provider is a great idea. Terrible name.

nice work, who doen't have blind home?

Excellent idea. Economical if the price is reasonable as compared to energy saver lamps emitting same lumins of light.

Really cool combination. I love this idea.

Really nice - it will be a great success!

!!!

What do you think of B-Light instead for the name? Not a drastic change but definitely not so negative? Also, although there may be some application issues with what windows it could work in it can still be marketed to newer home designs. Keep the faith! It is a great idea!

Stupid Idea.....who wants their blinds closed all day and open all night!?

Imagine the amount of energy produced if all contemporary blinds were converted to these new solar ones.

its ok

such a great idea! i love the idea a self-adjust windows blind. in my opinion, electroluminescent foil can be changed to high-flux LED and the blind acts like a lamp during night time. LED consumes less power and easily to be powered from a battery source than an electroluminescent foil which may need a DC 2 AC inverter. :D

Horizontal blinds are dust catchers. Better to have vertical blinds. Interesting idea but there are quite practical problems, most of which have already been stated in other comments.

How about the blins on the exterior of the building so they actually effect solar heat gain... which would probably have a much greater energy savings on climate control in hot environments. Blinds are not usually optimized in relation to solar direction. Having a solar tracking unit independent seems way more efficient and cost effective. Durable? How many of us have seen blinds ravaged by pets or children?

I do wonder how ecological it is to equip all your windows with batteries... And "blight"? sounds bout right to me

very interesting and brilliant idea how can I contact the technolog?

Love the concept - using something people are going to buy anyway. However, a logistics issue - do you need to have the blinds *open* to have the full light effect? I don't know about anyone else, but my blinds are closed at night because if there is light inside a building at night, people can see in. I'd remove the light from the blind itself, and put it on the "header" so that it can be turned on independently from the blinds being opened and closed. It's a start... keep going! (Oh,

There is already a patent for the vertical solar tracking PV blind - http://www.freepatentsonline.com/EP1795829.html

Why not go with vertical auto-tracking sun blinds?

Very innovative idea, and practical. Feel free to contact me for the development of the Electroluminescent components. The cost is not as prohibitive as is assumed. I have sponsored many student from RCA in London to get their products and ideas realised. my email addy amet48@gmail.com

good concept, great idea! as for the name.. hmmm..how bout .."blighnds!"

Interesting idea. Agreed that Blight is a horrid name (please, people, consult a dictionary when naming). As for east to west vs vertical angle, frankly even with east to west, I DO adjust my horizontal blinds during the day as the sun DOES go up and down, and to stop it from blinding me at different times a day, I must swivel them. As for the "East to West"... the same design could be incorporated into vertical blinds which are often found in hospitals, schools, office buildings.

I THINK THE NAME FITS. I Love the idea of integrating technologies. but the costs of electroluminescent materials as well as assembly wiring for multiple solar panels to inverter and power and then back to the light diodes....it's a blight on anyone who has to do it! I think this product firmly fits in the theoretical but not practical column. As a concept for demonstrating integrating solar power with other emerging technologies, A absolutely love it, and I hope the name was deliberate.

It is incredibly clever yet simple to make use of an existing concept easily integrated in everybody's home. People's everyday life will not be disturbed by this solar technology yet this same technology is or should be essential to them. Thanks for the good thinking... Marie-Astrid Billiet a worker for north and south wellbeing (Kathleen Deschamps - chief translator)

This is a very interesting idea! A problem I foresee is that you would have to have the blinds drawn in daytime order to charge for night-time. I usually have my blinds drawn at night and use the natural light during daytime. I guess if you worked away from home you would be able to take advantage of it. A timer perhaps should be included so that you wouldn't forget to draw the blinds when leaving for work? What about "LightShade"? Best of luck!

The idea is in fact very good, but, the problem may reside (as previously pointed out) in the cost vs. outcome issue. still I would be very interested in knowing more about the project specs, and maybe aply it in a theoric project i'm presently developing for my Architecture degree. if you're interested please send me an e-mail, and we can talk about it. as for the name, it's not that bad, but I would consider other options. keep working, and good luck.

The name is fine. Blind Light = Blight. It's catchy and words change meaning over time. Gay no longer means simply 'happy' and there's no reason "blight" can't have an additional meaning. I can't think of a sentence where the traditional meaning of "blight" might be confused with this new meaning. Maybe if the product was made of potato there would be a concern...

Super

very interesting core idea. I think the name just suffers from language issues, and is easily fixed. (the Chevy Nova did not do so well in Spanish speaking countries and could have been easily modified, but was not) taking concept all the way to production is an intense and itterative process. I think the concept is certainly an interesting one. from concept to production is a whole other matter, yet designing this to try to make it viable is worth the work, I think.

Its Awesome

"The advantage of the Venetian blind is to have a large surface exposed to sunlight in a small, cumbersome object." OK, first you call it a blight (defined in the dictionary as "Something that impairs growth, withers hopes and ambitions, or impedes progress and prosperity."), and then you call it a cumbersome object. Last time I checked, "cumbersome" meant: 1. Difficult to handle because of weight or bulk. See synonyms at heavy. 2. Troublesome or onerous.

Interesting idea, simple and modest way of bringing and using clear energy. congratulations!

Great idea except for the name and the EL film. That film is so expensive that the amount of EL film you would need for the above pictured blinds would cost about $900. Mind you, that's just enough D Parallel Electrode material, not the inverter, thin film solar cells, control unit, etc.

This is a great idea from the inside, but from the outside, I see it as just another source of light pollution. Even if the angle of the luminaire is directable via the rotation of the blinds, the "11pm" shot shows them pointing straight up into the sky, very bad. Other problems I see include: 1. This product is only good for sun-facing windows. We all know most buildings weren't designed with maximum solar energy capture in mind. 2. A 2pm, the product still appears to cast lig

Let me start out by saying very interesting idea, appears to be, generally speaking, well thought out. Several things however are not addressed in the description. First being the production cost vs. time required to recoup said cost. With a product collecting a minimal amount of sun light and therefore producing a minimal amount of electricity, it may take (without knowing any of the specific numbers about it's hypothetical max. capacity,) the life of the building before your recoup your inv

Arizona State University night classes, the perfect trial application. May I Market for you in U.S.A. ???

Great idea, bad name (maybe try naming it sun blind), how much does it cost per shade and the inverter?

Brillant! Eco-logical

c'est vraiment chouette .. cool ! pour ma maison!

ditto with the name. blight is for vacant lots and troubled neighborhoods. it's a bad word in community development. even something like "solar blinds" or sol-blinds is more positive, if boring.

Great concept and function for reusable energy. This reminds me of a reflection of light to pass solar energy. What do you think of "FLEX" SOLAR BLINDS??

I don't think that it can produce enough electric power. if we take cp value into consideration, it will be just an idea forever... Alright... if the production possibility is not required in the competetion, that may be ok.

Very clever! A name change should be considered though; I have to agree with the general consensus on that one.

Hmm...track the sun? The sun moves from East to West. The blinds pivot from Zenith to Azimuth...maybe seasonally is what you mean. But I have many feasibility questions with this...they would be mounted indoors? Presumably behind low-E glass? Would cut the already miserable efficiency of pictured flexible solar cells to almost nothing.

This is very similar to Damien Savio's concept which has been nominated for the Australian Design Awards-Dyson Student Award. 28 march 08 "http://www.core77.com/blog/object_culture/window_of_energysaving_opportunity_9364.asp"

Un seul mot : bravo !

Congratulation for you! This is fantastic idea. I like this.

"original idea ~!" I like that ~!

http://www.ecofriend.org/entry/students-design-solar-blinds-in-a-bid-to-generate-more-power/

I like the concept, but I agree about the name.

Très bien!!!

How much can you save money in the house where 20 windows ?

Agreed, bad name. Maybe something more like "Blinding Light".

Cool idea. This reminds me of a similar concept developed by Ecco Design / Eric Chan

I it an awesome Idea, but the name, as the commenter above said, is horrible. Blight does not bring positives to mind.

Maybe Ener-blind? Cool idea!

Interesting concept, poor name choice. The word blight evokes images of famine and despair, not hope.