A thirteen-year-old in Massachusetts looked at a simple daily frustration, a solar-powered string of lights that needed carrying toward the sun, and asked whether the problem could be solved more cheaply than the industry usually manages. His answer is a water-driven tracker that tilts a panel with slowly dripping water rather than a motor, built for about $25 and showing roughly a fifth more voltage than a fixed panel in outdoor testing. It is a small, patient rebuttal to the assumption that following the sun must cost hundreds of dollars and a machine's worth of maintenance. Whether it becom
13-Year-Old's $25 Water-and-Gravity Solar Tracker Aims to Fix Fixed-Panel Limits
It made little sense to use electricity to generate electricity.
Mark
Why does a $25 device made by a seventh grader get this much attention?
Mimi
Because of the price gap. Commercial trackers run $500 to more than $1,000 per panel, and Jason's cost about $25 and uses mostly recycled parts.
Mark
And how does it actually move without a motor?
Mimi
Water drips from containers into a bucket on one side of a seesaw-like frame. As the bucket gets heavier, that side sinks and the panel tilts through the day.
Luke
The 20% figure needs care. It's voltage, not total energy, and it comes from his own outdoor test against one fixed panel. The reporting doesn't give conditions, duration or repeat trials.
Mimi
Fair. It's a promising result, not an independent measurement.
Mark
How does it compare with commercial trackers?
Mimi
Single-axis ones add 25% to 35%, dual-axis up to about 40%. His 20% is lower, but at a tiny fraction of the cost.
Luke
Though those are different measures, so the comparison is loose. And the weather problem is real: water freezes in the cold and evaporates in heat. Whether a year-round version works is unknown.
Mark
Will it ever be for sale?
Mimi
Nobody knows. It's a prototype, and there's no guarantee a real version will be sold.
Luke
Same goes for the claims about off-grid communities and disaster zones. Those are Jason's hopes, not demonstrated uses.
Il Polso
- A fixed solar panel wastes hours of daylight because the sun keeps moving while the panel stays put.
- Commercial trackers add 25 to 40 percent more output but cost $500 or more per panel, pricing out most households.
- Thirteen-year-old Jason Chang replaced the motor with a seesaw frame where dripping water slowly tips the panel toward the sun.
- Outdoor tests showed about 20 percent more voltage than a fixed panel, enough to prove the idea works in real light.
- Freezing winters and scorching heat cause the water to stop or evaporate, so the current prototype cannot run year-round.
- Chang is building a season-proof redesign, and no commercial sale is guaranteed yet.
A thirteen-year-old in Massachusetts looked at a simple daily frustration, a solar-powered string of lights that needed carrying toward the sun, and asked whether the problem could be solved more cheaply than the industry usually manages. His answer is a water-driven tracker that tilts a panel with slowly dripping water rather than a motor, built for about $25 and showing roughly a fifth more voltage than a fixed panel in outdoor testing. It is a small, patient rebuttal to the assumption that following the sun must cost hundreds of dollars and a machine's worth of maintenance. Whether it becomes a product or remains a notebook's proof of concept is still open, and the weather that defeats it is the same weather the project must learn to survive.
Jason Chang's solar tracker started at home with a string of solar-powered Christmas lights. His mother kept asking him to carry them to wherever the sun was, and Chang, a seventh grader at Worcester Academy in Massachusetts, decided to solve the problem himself. He spent more than a year on it.
The core issue is that most solar panels sit at one fixed angle while the sun moves across the sky, which limits how much power they make. Commercial trackers fix this but are expensive and need upkeep. Chang's version cost about $25 and has no motor. Containers of water sit on a rocking frame, and water drips slowly into a bucket on one side. As the bucket grows heavier, it tips the panel through the day. He built much of it from recycled and simple parts, reasoning that it made little sense to spend electricity to make electricity.
In outdoor tests against an ordinary fixed panel, his tracker produced about 20 percent more voltage. He kept a careful notebook, and he said the fluid control frame was the hardest part because the measurements had to be precise.
The design has clear limits. Water freezes in cold and evaporates in heat, so the prototype is not ready for year-round use, and Chang is now working on a version that can handle every season. The project also arrives as plug-in solar kits for renters gain attention in many states, and a cheap tracker could help balcony panels follow the sun. Chang sees potential for off-grid communities, developing regions, and disaster zones. His work earned him a place among 55 National STEM Champions and a trip to the National STEM Festival in Washington, D.C.
For now it remains a prototype, with no guarantee of a commercial version. The next test is whether his redesign can survive both freezing and heat.
Jason Chang's solar tracker began with a string of Christmas lights. The family's lights were solar-powered, and his mother kept asking him to carry them to wherever the sun happened to be. Chang, a 13-year-old seventh grader at Worcester Academy in Massachusetts, asked himself, "What if I could fix this problem?" Then he spent more than a year working on an answer.
The problem is a familiar one. Most solar panels sit at a single fixed angle all day while the sun crosses the sky, and that fixed angle shapes which hours of the day a panel produces the most power. Trackers, which tilt a panel to follow the sun, are the standard fix. Chang built one for about $25.
His version uses no motor. Containers of water sit on a frame that rocks like a seesaw, and the water drips slowly into a bucket on one side. As the bucket gets heavier, it pulls that side down, and the panel tilts as the day goes on. "All you have to do is pull on the plug and the water starts flowing," he told CBS. He reasoned that it made little sense to burn electricity in order to make electricity. He also built it largely from recycled and simple parts.
Chang tested the device outdoors against an ordinary fixed panel, and his tracker produced about 20% more voltage. He recorded every step of the work in a notebook. By his account to CBS, the hardest part was the fluid control frame, because the measurements had to be very precise.
The design has clear limits. The water freezes in cold weather and evaporates in heat, so the current version is not suited to year-round use. Chang is working on a new version meant to handle all seasons.
The comparison with commercial hardware explains the interest. A standard single-axis tracker can raise output by 25% to 35%, and a dual-axis model can reach roughly 40%. They cost anywhere from $500 to more than $1,000 per panel, and their motors and moving parts need maintenance. Adding a couple more fixed panels usually costs less, though a tracker as cheap as Chang's could change that math.
The timing fits a wider shift. Solar has spread widely in recent years, including into houses and apartments in several states, and plug-in kits are under consideration in more than 30 states. These kits are aimed at renters who cannot mount panels on a roof: set one on a balcony and plug it into a regular outlet. Some kits can be had for as little as $285, though the company offering that price requires a monthly membership. California legalized plug-in solar on September 30, with the law taking effect at the start of 2027. A tracker could make it easier to follow the sun from a balcony.
Chang sees uses beyond apartments, including off-grid communities, developing regions and disaster zones. The project earned him a place among 55 National STEM Champions this year, along with a trip to the National STEM Festival in Washington, D.C. Festival co-founder Jenny Buccos called him "one of the 55 reasons to believe the future is in incredible hands."
For now, it remains a prototype, and there is no guarantee a finished version will ever be sold. The next thing to watch is whether his year-round redesign can handle both freezing and heat.
Citazioni salienti
All you have to do is pull on the plug and the water starts flowing.— Jason Chang, to CBS
One of the 55 reasons to believe the future is in incredible hands.— Jenny Buccos, National STEM Festival co-founder
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