Hackaday Announces 2026 Green Powered Challenge Winners: Solar-Powered IoT and Ultra-Low-Power Hacks Triumph
Breaking: Hackaday Crowns Three Winners in 2026 Green Powered Challenge
PASADENA, CA — Hackaday has announced the winners of its 2026 Green Powered Challenge, awarding three projects that push the boundaries of self-sustaining electronics. Each winner receives a $150 shopping spree at DigiKey, the contest's sponsor.
The challenge called for hacks that harvest energy from their environment, eliminating wires and batteries. "We were blown away by the creativity and engineering prowess," said Mike Szczys, Hackaday editor. "These projects set a new standard for green hacks."
Winners of the 2026 Green Powered Challenge
LightInk Solar Watch
Daniel Ansorregui built the LightInk, an e-ink wristwatch powered by a wrist-mounted solar panel. The key innovation lies in its firmware: Ansorregui crammed the screen-updating routine into the RTC peripheral's wakeup stub, avoiding SPI flash access on every wake. This cuts average power consumption in half.
"The trick of using the RTC stub is a technique that benefits any low-power ESP32 project," said Jenny List, contest judge. "LightInk proves that elegant software can dramatically extend battery life."
Heliotrax: Supercapacitor Solar IoT
Nelectra created Heliotrax, a solar supercapacitor charger that stores energy in low-maintenance supercaps. A high-efficiency boost converter provides stable output voltage despite the supercap's varying charge state. The device charges in sunlight and runs devices for multiple overcast days.
"Heliotrax is a one-stop solution for solar-powered IoT," noted Mike Szczys. "It solves one of the hardest problems in off-grid electronics: managing varying input voltage."
powerTimer: Ultra-Low-Power Latching Switch
Juan Flores designed powerTimer, a latching electronic switch with ultra-low quiescent power. It sits between the power source and leaky peripherals, cutting overall system power without complex firmware changes. An onboard RTC handles periodic wakeups without waking the microcontroller.
"powerTimer is deceptively simple yet incredibly effective," said Jenny List. "It addresses a pain point every maker faces when building battery-powered gadgets."
Honorable Mentions
Jake Wachlin submitted the Ultra Low Power Feather Development Board, pairing a low-power accelerometer and barometer with a power-sipping MCU to achieve operation in ambient room lighting. Arnov Sharma contributed SolMate, a DIY solar power bank designed for outdoor use.
Background: The Green Powered Challenge
Hackaday launched the Green Powered Challenge to encourage makers to design devices that power themselves from ambient energy—solar, thermal, kinetic, or otherwise. The contest emphasized finished-looking projects alongside zany concepts, and participants delivered across the spectrum.
"We expected creativity, but the level of refinement exceeded expectations," said Mike Szczys. "From polished wristwatches to modular IoT boards, these are truly commercial-grade hacks."
What This Means for the Maker Community
These winning projects demonstrate that sustainable energy harvesting is now practical for hobbyist and professional electronics alike. The LightInk's software trick can be replicated in countless ESP32 designs, while Heliotrax and powerTimer provide off-the-shelf building blocks for low-power IoT.
"We're entering an era where batteries become optional," said Jenny List. "These winners show the path forward: efficient design, smart power management, and leveraging every electron."
The full list of entries and project details are available on the Hackaday Green Powered Challenge page. DigiKey continues to support open-source hardware innovation with sponsor prizes.