GOOD 100: Meet Eden Full, Harnessing the Power of the Sun

Now, the Earth may revolve around the sun, but in this day and age, we’re all about making that massive, fiery star work for us.

Eden Full is one such advocate seeking to harness the power of the sun with her invention, the SunSaluter solar panel. These low-cost panels rotate to follow the sun throughout the day, sans (you guessed it) electricity, and are constructed entirely from locally sourced and recyclable materials. As an added bonus, SunSaluter panels can be installed underneath any existing solar panel with just a few minor adjustments.

For this fantastic idea, Full was honored with a Thiel Foundation Fellowship as well as a cool $100,000 grant to hold off on college and get going on turning SunSaluter from idea into reality.

The wheels are certainly turning, as SunSaluter is currently being tested in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, with the first few hundred units set to be shipped out by the middle of this year. Eden has higher hopes for the SunSaluter, larger than simply a successful product. Her goal is that her invention, which increase solar panel energy output by an impressive 40 percent, will be utilized in the developing world as well as established markets.

Full will be spending 2013 seeking out partners—anyone from solar distributors to clean water charities to young entrepreneurs interested in launching a SunSaluter initiative in their community, she says.

“I will be working on getting as many SunSaluters into the hands of as many people as possible, in off-grid projects all over the world,” Full says. “I would like to gain further insights into the intersection between access to electricity and clean water.”

For all you do, and all you aim to do, Eden Full, we salute you.

Sorry, we couldn’t help it.