SolarGaps, a Ukrainian startup focused on window blinds that generate solar power, has collected over $50,000 on fundraising platform Kickstarter, paving its way for massive production.
As of May 27, as many as 207 backers donated $50,956, exceeding the pledged amount worth $50,000. Moreover, it’s still 18 days before the deadline.
SolarGaps, a Los Angeles-based company created by Ukrainian inventor and green energy activist Evgeny Eric in Kyiv, intends to kick off the production of hi-tech smart window blinds that absorb sunlight to generate energy for household or office use.
Controlled by Android and iOS apps, the blinds would also automatically shift their angle along with solar motion in the sky, generating up to 100 kilowatt of clean energy per month – the average amount of energy consumed monthly by one Ukrainian citizen, Eric says.
According to the SolarGaps’ page on Kickstarter, their product interacts with other smart house and renewable energy technologies like Google Home, Amazon Echo, and Nest Thermostat.
Using Wi-Fi connection, the smart blinds can also check weather forecasts online for even more efficient power generation.
The generated energy that hasn’t been used can be stored. First commercial deliveries can start as early as this year, founders say.
Read the Kyiv Post story about SolarGaps here.
