Published on Wednesday, Jan 4 2012 by John Woods
A Norwich-based Big Issue seller plans to harness
solar power to create a green energy mobile music recording studio.
Steve James, a musician himself and a former music promoter, plans to use
solar panels to harness the sun’s energy to power the recording studio, which will be built into the trailer of a bike and towed by an electric bike.
The 16-track recording device will be accompanied by amplifiers and speakers, an effects unit and a laptop.
A report in the Norwich Evening News details how 34-year-old Mr James has been working on using solar power to run the recording studio for three years now but he says he hopes to have the system up and running by this spring and to be recording at festivals by the end of the year.
Mr James, who has been homeless or travelling since he was 16, will raise some money for the invention by selling a CD he compiled of gigs performed in The Wildman, a local pub. Out later this month, the CD includes songs by artists such as Washboard Chris, Danny Whitehouse, Addison’s Uncle and Dumbfoundus. Further CD recordings are also in the pipeline, Mr James said.
Once it’s in action Mr James will use the solar-powered recording system to record the performances of buskers at local festivals and in Norwich city centre. He told the Norwich Evening News, “I’ve been a musician for the last 23 years and thought how amazing would it be to record music there and then using the lap top and solar panels.”
He added, “One of the first things I want to do is use it in Norwich city centre to record buskers playing on the streets and then put that on a CD and help them increase their income.”
Mr James highlighted that as well as using solar panels, the project also uses all recycled materials, making it very environmentally friendly. He called it, “recycling at its finest”.
Mr James is not the first to find a quirky and unusual way to generate energy from solar panels. Other cool inventions include a glamorous necklace made from small solar panels and a xylophone as well as innovative solar panel curtains. We’ve seen cuff links and brooches too, decorated with little pieces of solar panel.
There is even a bra which collects energy from solar panels. Staying on the clothes theme, researchers at Iowa State University invented a solar powered necktie made from solar fabrics – it even has a small pocket on the back for a mobile phone, camera or MP3 player.
Solar-powered toys and gadgets are also growing in popularity, such as travel shavers, toy aeroplanes and toy racing cars.
Another green invention which has even more in common with Mr James’s mobile recording studio is the mobile cocktail bar powered by solar energy.
To find out more about the use of solar power to provide the UK's energy needs, visit the
Energy Saving Trust website.
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