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A solar project that attempts to push the boundaries of solar design at the intersection of material innovation and aesthetics. Imagining a future where collecting and storing energy becomes part of our surroundings.
Energy from the sun
Between Lights is a transparent window application that captures energy from light. Developed by designer Teresa van Dongen, the project combines Organic Photovoltaics (OPV) with printed electronics to explore how solar technology can become part of the materials and objects around us. Its translucent surface collects energy from sunlight and indoor light. A normally invisible process of energy generation is made perceptible through transparency, printed electronics and colour.
An atmospheric light source
During the day, the surfaces quietly harvest light. As daylight fades, the collected energy powers embedded LEDs, transforming the solar panels into a soft, atmospheric light source. The object shifts with its surroundings: from a transparent surface in daylight to a glowing presence at night. Experiments with the colour, form and transparent quality of OPV explore not only what solar technology can do, but also what it can look and feel like.
In touch with the source of energy
The project grows from Van Dongen’s interest in natural forms of energy and draws inspiration from biological systems such as photosynthesis, where energy is part of a living cycle. With Between Lights, she explores how energy generation can move closer to people and everyday life—not as hidden infrastructure, but as an autonomous system that becomes part of a spatial experience.
About Teresa van Dongen
