FYI: Solar Cooker for Simply $5

        With a few common household materials along with time and creativity, one is able to create a personal stove capable of reaching temperatures approximately between 250° to 375° Fahrenheit, solely powered by the sun. Step-by-step instructions are provided by Instructables user sclausson; this invention is known as the Purple Fig Solar Cooker, which can be built with simple items that can be found in convenience areas. The list of materials include a posterboard, aluminium foil, glue, a shoelace, a couple of binder clips as well as purple paint (obviously). According to the creator of this invention, the total cost of the materials should be under $5 (and possibly free to those households that may already have the needed materials). 

          The posterboard helps form the structure needed for the cooker while the foil is to provide the surface for concentrating the sun's rays. The glue helps to hold the foil to the posterboard while the binder clips aid in holding the structure in place. The shoelace is needed as a key component of the solar cooker but if you are interested in making one, do find out more here at Purple Fig Solar Cooker at Instructables. Enjoy!

Graphene Paint Helps Solar Power Homes and Electronics

      Scientists from University of Manchester have discovered the potential of Graphene, which is a one-atom thick layer of graphite, with the combination of transition metal dichalcogenides, a material that is able to react in light, holds the capacity to create a product that can generate electricity from sunlight. They can form thin sheets of the product which can be placed on buildings to harvest sunlight and convert it into electricity.

       The product can give solar panels a run for their money, but the scientists don't plan to stop there. They intend to discover a way to use the technology to produce a paint that can be used for homes as well as other objects. However, Professor Kostya Novoselov, one of the scientists whom had discovered Graphene, stated that the development of the paint will not be established until much later on in the future.
       The Graphene paint can be used to power a variety of devices, establishing an emphasis on mobile cellular devices. The scientists also hold the belief that Graphene paint would bring in a "new generation" of mobile phones that are solar-powered and are ultra-thin. Not only can Graphene paint be used to power objects, but scientists believe that they will be able to make it change colors on-demand as well.
       The scientists are optimistic for the development of the Graphene paint as the material is harder than a diamond, able to conduct electricity and holds many possible opportunities for it. Professor Novoselov stated that they would be able to use Graphene to develop different types of products with a variety of properties other than producing solar powered energy. He states, "We have been trying to go beyond Graphene by combining with another one-atom thick materials. What we have been doing is putting different layers of these materials one on top of the other and what you get is a new type of material with a unique set of properties. It is like a book -- one page contains some information but together the book is so much more. The implementations would go much further than simple solar-powered cells."