A new type of solar panel using human hair could provide the world with cheap, green electricity, believes its teenage inventor.
　　十幾歲的少年發明家相信，他這種新型的用人頭髮發電的太陽能電池板能夠帶給世界便宜和綠色的電能。

　　Milan Karki, 18, who comes from a  village in rural Nepal, says hair is easy to use as a conductor in solar panels and could revolutionise renewable energy.

　　Milan and four classmates initially made the solar panel as an experiment but the teens are convinced it has wide applicability and commercial viability.
'I'm trying to produce commercially and distribute to the districts. We've already sent a couple out to the districts to test for feasibility,' he said.
　　Milan 和四位同學是在一次試驗中製作了這塊太陽能板，但是他們現在已經相信它具有廣泛實用性和商業生存能力。“我正在嘗試將產品商業化，賣到更多的地方。我們已經派了兩個人到其他地方去做一些測試，來檢驗是否可行，”他說。

　　The solar panel, which produces 9 V (18 W) of energy, costs around £23 to make from raw materials. But if they were mass-produced, Milan says they could be sold for less than half that price, which could make them a quarter of the price of those already on the market.
　　這個能產生9V(18W)電能的太陽能板，從原材料製成僅花23英鎊（約280塊RMB）。但是如果能夠大規模生產的話，米蘭說它們的賣價還能再降一半，是現在市面上產品價格的1/4。

　　Melanin, a pigment that gives hair its colour, is light sensitive and also acts as a type of conductor. Because hair is far cheaper than silicon the appliance is less costly. The solar panel can charge a mobile phone or a pack of batteries capable of providing light all evening.
　　頭髮的顏色來源--黑色素，是一種光敏材料同時也是一種導體。因為頭髮比矽要便宜很多，所以做成的設備成本也很低。太陽能電池板能為手機或者為晚上提供照明的電池組充電。

　　Milan first tried to use water currents hydro power  on a small scale, but said the experiment became too expensive. 'I searched for new, other renewable, affordable sources. People in these places are living the life of the stone age even in the 21st century,' he said.

　　Milan, whose hero is the inventor Thomas Eddison, was originally inspired after reading a book by physicist Stephen Hawking, which discussed ways of creating static energy from hair. 'I realised that Melanin was one of the factors in conversion of energy,' he said.
　　Milan 的偶像是發明家愛迪生。物理學家霍金的一本書進一步地影響了他。霍金在這本書裡討論了從頭髮裡創造穩定能源的方式。Milan 說，“我實現了讓黑色素在轉換能量中的作用”。

　　Half a kilo of hair can be bought for only 16p in Nepal and lasts a few months, whereas a pack of batteries would cost 50p and last a few nights. People can replace the hair easily themselves, says Milan, meaning his solar panels need little servicing.

　　Three years after first coming up with the idea, Milan says the idea is more important than ever because of the crucial need for renewable energies in the face of finite power sources and global warming.

　　'Slowly, natural resources are degrading so it is necessary to think about the future," he said. 'One day we will be in a great crisis regarding this fuel so it is a good thing to do today.'This is an easy solution for the crisis we are having today. We have begun the long walk to save the planet.'
　　“自然資源慢慢退化，我們有必要為未來多考慮，”Milan 說，“終有一天我們會面臨嚴重的燃料危機，所以現在做這件事情是很對的。這是不僅是應對我們今天危機的一個簡單的解決方案，而且象徵著我們已經開始在拯救星球之路上向前邁進。“