Item from Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
A solar energy conductor designed by a prisoner — the technology that bred enough Astrophage to fuel a starship, because sometimes salvation comes from unlikely places.
The blackpanel is Dr. Robert Redell's contribution, and its origin story is as unlikely as everything else about Project Hail Mary. Redell designed this solar energy technology before his imprisonment; Stratt pulled him out of prison because his blackpanels turned out to be the only viable method for mass-breeding Astrophage to fuel the spin drives. Without blackpanels, the Hail Mary never gets enough Astrophage fuel to reach Tau Ceti. Without Redell, there are no blackpanels. Without Stratt's willingness to recruit from prison, Redell stays locked up and humanity stays locked in. The chain of unlikely dependencies that saved the human race includes a disgraced engineer, a ruthless administrator, and a glass panel that tricks microorganisms into reproducing.
A glass and anodized metal conductor panel designed to capture solar energy at the specific wavelengths that attract Astrophage. Deceptively simple in design — the kind of engineering elegance that comes from a mind that has had nothing to do but think.
Also known as: Blackpanel, Blackpanels