Biomimicry Solar Panels

The wings of a butterfly have inspired a new type of solar cell that can harvest light twice as efficiently as before and could one day improve our solar panels.

Biomimicry solar panels.

Until now solar power has been a daytime only energy source because storing extra solar energy for later use is prohibitively expensive and grossly inefficient. When the solar concentrator is placed next to a thin film solar panel the printed area reflects the uv light on the panel increasing the current produced. Several new cutting edge research project are looking at biomimetic solutions to solar s nagging problems. Scientists from mit and rwth aachen looked at the geometric arrangement in sunflowers during their research to reduce the land use of concentrated solar power plants.

Practically the heliotropic solar panel could be useful in developing areas where motor based sun tracking panels are not affordable. Solar panels are usually made of. The researchers discovered that a design inspired by. With today s announcement mit researchers have hit upon a simple inexpensive highly efficient process for storing solar energy.

In such a solar plant an array of mirrors redirects the light to a central point where the rays are converted to electricity. Plastic solar panels imitate photosynthesis. Students drew this concept from research on traditional fluorescent solar concentrators which use luminescent paint to concentrate absorbed uv rays and emit at longer wavelengths. The concept of imitating natural systems in the built environment is known as biomimicry and it holds great promise for advancements in many areas of technology including solar.

By combining photovoltaic technology and piezoelectrics solar ivy s patent pending system continues innovation in the realm of biomimicry and it is a further challenge to our notions of the potential limits of solar power.