3D Printed Solar Energy Trees
What
are solar energy trees?
Energy
needs are constantly growing, and trees are still being chopped down for
firewood in many parts of the world. Scientists at VTT Technical Research
Centre of Finland are turning this approach around. Instead of harvesting
trees, they are printing artificial trees to harvest energy from the
environment. The trees consist of wood-based 3D printed stems and printed solar
cells as leaves.
When
trying to find a way to harvest energy from the environment, the team at VTT
looked to nature. Trees seemed the perfect solution, so they modeled their
invention after nature’s answer to energy needs. The artificial trees are made
by combining 3D printing and printing electronics. At their current size, they
are efficient enough to power small devices such as mobile phones, humidifiers,
thermometers, and LED light bulbs.
The
tree’s leaves are flexible organic solar cells, printed using well
established mass-production techniques. Each leaf has a separate power
converter, creating a multi converter system that makes it possible to collect
energy from a variety of sources like solar, wind and
heat temperature. The more solar panels there are in a tree, the more energy it
can harvest. The trunks are 3d printed using wood-based bio composites. They
are mass producible and can be infinitely replicated.
Unlike
solar cells many people are used to, like the one’s on rooftops, this
technology uses organic solar cells, printed on flexible “tree leaves.” But
like today’s solar cells, the process uses existing, proven mass-production
techniques. Equally impressive is the fact that each leaf has its own power
converter. Cumulatively, this multi-converter power-generating tree can draw
energy from not just the sun, but from wind and ambient heat.
Exploiting
Biomimicry
Biomimicry—the
emerging science of copying nature—will be exploited to ultimately produce a
functioning environmentally friendly solar-wind harvester. Regrettably, the
energy reaching our planet in both visible and IR wavelengths is vastly
under-utilized by current technology. Enter the Nanoleaf, the basic unit of the
new bio-harvesters. Unlike conventional photovoltaic (PV) solar cells, the
Nanoleaf targets energy-rich mid-infrared wavelengths. The point here is that
Nanoleaves can be configured as frequency selective surfaces to efficiently
absorb the entire solar spectrum, not just certain wavelengths.
Anatomy
of a NanoLeaf
Drilling
down into the technology of a Nanoleaf is quite fascinating. Each leaf’s solar
panel is only 0.2 mm thick, yet it contains all the electrodes, detailed connections,
and polymer layers necessary for a functioning power unit. The leaves and its
various layers are 3D printed. The surface area of each cell is just 0.0144
square meters. Currently, 200 leaves can generate up to 3.2 amperes of
electricity. Situated in the sun and wind, one square-meter of leaves can
generate about 10 watts of power. Unlike conventional solar panels, Nanoleaves
reflect back only a small part of the sunlight that strikes them, as most of
the light is captured to produce energy. The unique combination of photovoltaic
and thermovoltaic technologies converts most thermal radiation into
electricity—even hours after the sun has set.
The
Power of Rustling Nanoleaves
Adding to the power generating capability of a solar tree, a Nanoleaf’s piezoelectric leafstalk is designed to convert wind movement into electricity. When wind rustles a Nanoleaf back and forth, the resulting mechanical stresses in the petiole, twig and branches convert this motion into electricity. While a single Nanoleaf generates little power, the cumulative effect of thousands of Nanoleaves generates millions of Pico watts. All told, a Solar Botanic structure could capture and convert a day’s electromagnetic energy to dc power with an astonishing 84% efficiency.
Aesthetic
Power Generators
Large
scale fabrication of Nanoleaves is just around the corner. The headlong rush to
develop nanotechnology, photovoltaic and thermovoltaic materials is expected to
bring down production and installation costs significantly. Among the major
benefits of solar trees is, of course, their pleasing aesthetics. Expansive,
glaringly intrusive solar farms and gigantic wind turbines will become obsolete
as energy harvesting trees take their place, generating clean power with
forests of natural-looking trees.
Future
in India
Innovative
thinking about solar power is taking place all around the world. In India,
researchers have unveiled a solar power tree they claim can produce 5
kilowatts of electricity while using only 4 square feet of land. For areas
where open land is at a premium, the solar trees could produce significant
energy in far less space than a conventional solar panel installation would
require. Creative people are finding new ways to harvest the free power of
sunlight every day.
Sources:
3D
Printed Solar Energy Trees (alternative-energy-news.info)
3D
Printing Solar Energy Trees | Solar Companies
3D
Printed Trees Harvest Energy From Sun, Wind, & Temperature | CleanTechnica
Printed trees provide
renewable energy - drupa
Comments
Post a Comment