How one 13-year-old is helping solve a huge solar panel limitation

Tired of moving solar-powered Christmas lights, a seventh grader built a tracker that lets gravity do the work.

By Husain Parvez Nov. 15, 2026 5:15 pm EST Banphote Kamolsanei/Getty Images Add Engadget on Google: Google Discover

Jason Chang was sick of his mother asking him to adjust the family's solar-powered Christmas lights to get more sun, so he devised a solution with big potential. The 13-year-old seventh grader at Worcester Academy in Massachusetts created a solar tracker that utilizes water and gravity to move a solar panel without the need for a motor, a sunlight sensor or electricity to power the mechanism.