LET FOOD WASTE SHINE: How a Filipino Student Turned Rotting Crops into a Solar Power Revolution

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

In a world desperate for clean energy and solutions to mounting food waste, a young Filipino dared to see beyond what was discarded. Where others saw rotting fruit, Carvey Ehren Maigue saw radiant potential. While storms clouded the Philippine skies and city buildings blocked the sun, this visionary engineering student from Mapúa University imagined a future where even gloomy days could bring light—and power.

His invention, now known as AuREUS—short for Aurora Renewable Energy and UV Sequestration—isn’t just a technological feat. It’s a stunning story of sustainability, survival, and the boundless brilliance of Filipino ingenuity.

BEYOND SUNLIGHT: THE BIRTH OF A SOLAR BREAKTHROUGH

Traditional solar panels rely on visible sunlight, which means they're useless when the skies are overcast or blocked by high-rise buildings. But Carvey asked a radical question: What if we could harvest invisible light—the ultraviolet rays that still penetrate clouds?

The answer came from nature itself.

Carvey discovered that certain fruits and vegetables contain luminescent particles capable of absorbing UV light and converting it into visible light. This visible light, in turn, could be captured by standard solar cells and turned into electricity.

He experimented with nearly 80 crops and found nine with the right properties. From there, he developed a translucent resin panel that looks like colored glass—but acts like a power plant.

The magic? It works even without direct sunlight, making it ideal for urban buildings, shaded areas, and even indoor environments.

FROM FARM WASTE TO FUTURE POWER

AuREUS isn’t just a solar panel. It’s a circular economy in action. It takes agricultural waste—fruits damaged by climate change or unsellable crops—and gives them new life. What once rotted in landfills, now powers phones, homes, and eventually cities.

In Carvey’s own words:

“My device uses waste to generate energy, showing that there's value in what we throw away. It's about building a world that works with nature, not against it.”

The prototype—installed as a window panel in his home—was able to charge two phones, even on a rainy day. And that’s just the beginning.

A GLOBAL STAGE FOR A FILIPINO INNOVATOR

In 2020, Carvey Ehren Maigue became the first-ever winner of the James Dyson Award for Sustainability—beating out more than 1,800 entries from 27 countries.

Dyson founder Sir James Dyson himself praised Carvey’s resilience, noting that he had previously failed to qualify but came back stronger, refining his idea into something truly groundbreaking.

Carvey didn’t just win the prize. He won the admiration of the global scientific and sustainability community, proving that even in a country battered by typhoons and burdened by climate change, brilliance can bloom.

REIMAGINING OUR CITIES, REPOWERING OUR PLANET

Imagine skyscrapers sheathed in glowing panels that generate electricity from ambient UV rays. Picture homes, schools, and jeepneys with AuREUS windows. Visualize a future where every building becomes a silent solar engine, and every discarded fruit becomes a spark of change.

That’s the future Carvey envisions.

Unlike traditional panels that work only 15–22% of the time (during peak sunlight), AuREUS can remain productive up to 50% of the time. It works not just on rooftops—but on windows, walls, and even vehicles. It doesn’t need a field. It doesn’t need the sun to shine. It just needs our will to transform the way we see energy.

THE ROAD AHEAD

With his prize winnings, Carvey is now improving the material, scaling production, and collaborating with architects and engineers to deploy AuREUS across public infrastructure.

He’s also working to empower Filipino farmers, whose rejected crops can become raw materials for his panels—turning wasted harvests into sources of hope and income.

The goal is ambitious: a world powered by what we once threw away.

LET THE FUTURE GLOW

Carvey Ehren Maigue is no longer just an engineering student. He is a beacon of possibility for a generation looking to repair a broken planet.

His invention, born from the quiet observation of nature’s hidden talents, may be one of the most important solar breakthroughs of the decade. It’s poetic. It’s practical. It’s powerful.

And above all—it’s proudly Filipino.

So the next time the clouds roll in and the sun disappears, remember: the light is still there. It’s just waiting for someone like Carvey to unlock it.

Let food waste shine. Let the future shine.

Let us shine—together.

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