A Nepalese inventor believes he has found the solution to the World’s energy needs thanks to a new type of solar panel which uses human hair.

Milan Karki, 18, comes from a rural village in Nepal. The young inventor uses hair as a conductor in solar panels instead of silicon, one of the normal components used in solar panels. Silicon is very pricey whereas hair is not therefore the new solar panels are a lot more cost effective.

Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world. Many rural areas in the country lack any electrical supply and even in areas with electricity, there may be shortages of up to 16 hours a day.

Milan and four classmates have already made a prototype of the new solar panel. It produces around 9V (18W) of energy and costs around $50 to make.

It is believed that if the new hair solar panels were mass produced, the costs would halve and this would make them around a quarter of the price of solar panels currently for sale. The solar panel is currently capable of charging a mobile phone or a pack of batteries capable of providing light all evening.

Melanin, the pigment in hair that gives it it’s colour, is light sensitive and can also act as an electrical conductor. A kilo of hair can be bought in Nepal for about $1.

Milan says his inspiration comes from British scientist Stephen Hawking who described how to create static energy from hair in one of his books.

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