Hackaday Announces Winners of 2026 Green Powered Challenge: Sustainable Power Hacks Take Center Stage

Winners Announced for Hackaday's Green Powered Challenge

Hackaday has revealed the winners of its 2026 Green Powered Challenge, celebrating projects that harness ambient energy to run autonomously. The competition drew a wide range of entries, from polished prototypes to wildly imaginative concepts.

"We asked the community to show off sustainable, wire-free hacks, and they delivered beyond expectations," said a Hackaday spokesperson. Each top winner receives a $150 shopping spree at DigiKey, the contest's sponsor.

LightInk Solar Watch

[Daniel Ansorregui]'s LightInk Solar Watch pairs an e-ink display with a wrist-mounted solar panel for ultra-low power consumption. The real innovation lies in its firmware: the screen update routine runs inside the RTC wakeup stub, avoiding SPI flash access and cutting average power by half.

"This is a trick that benefits any low-power ESP32 project, not just smartwatches," noted a judge. The watch proves that meticulous code optimization can make solar wearables practical.

Supercapacitor Solar IoT

[Nelectra]'s Heliotrax solar supercapacitor charger stores energy in low-maintenance supercapacitors, then delivers a stable voltage via a high-efficiency boost converter. It charges in sunlight and runs for days in darkness, making it a plug-and-play power solution for IoT devices.

"This module could simplify a whole range of off-grid sensor projects," the Hackaday team commented. The design eliminates battery replacement and reduces electronic waste.

powerTimer

[Juan Flores]'s powerTimer is an ultra-low-quiescent latching switch that manages power for peripheral-heavy projects. It can cut system power without requiring deep microcontroller redesign, and includes a low-power RTC for periodic wakeups.

"It's a simple, elegant solution to a common problem," said the judges. The module addresses the challenge of peripherals draining power even when the MCU sleeps.

Honorable Mentions

In the solar category, [Jake Wachlin]'s Ultra Low Power Feather Board uses a low-power accelerometer and barometer to achieve operation under ambient indoor lighting. [Arnov Sharma]'s SolMate offers a DIY solar power bank ideal for outdoor use.

Several entries pushed the boundaries of energy harvesting, including projects harnessing vibration and thermal gradients. The full list is available on the contest page.

Background

The Green Powered Challenge called for hacks that power themselves sustainably from the environment. Hackaday launched it to encourage innovation in autonomous, wire-free devices—responding to the inconvenience of batteries and cables.

Submissions ranged from finished products to proof-of-concept builds. The judging panel evaluated power efficiency, creativity, and real-world applicability.

What This Means

These award-winning designs demonstrate that sustainable power is not just a niche interest—it's becoming mainstream in the hacker community. The techniques shown, such as RTC-based code optimization and supercapacitor storage, can be replicated in countless other projects.

As IoT and wearable devices proliferate, reducing reliance on disposable batteries becomes critical. The Green Powered Challenge winners provide blueprints for a greener, more autonomous future in electronics.