Biomimicry Solar Panels

A host of new technologies have been inspired by the natural world as designers increasingly look to biomimicry when to creating new ideas for wind turbines solar cells and hydropower.

Biomimicry solar panels.

One of the most recognisable examples of biomimicry is velcro the original hook and loop fastener inspired by the hooked seed pods of burdock plants. A butterfly wing perhaps not. 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. Several new cutting edge research project are looking at biomimetic solutions to solar s nagging problems.

The researchers discovered that a design inspired by. How they work is in through the use of small flexible solar cells which mimic leaves. Biomimicry is the art of using the natural world as a basis for man made designs. 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.

But wind turbines or solar panels spread over a large enough area. If static solar panels could passively do the same analyst. Predicting the weather might never be perfect but their accuracy is far less dependent. Solar panels are usually made of thick solar cells and are positioned at an angle to get the most amount of light from the sun as it moves throughout the day.

In such a solar plant an array of mirrors redirects the light to a central point where the rays are converted to electricity. Wikpedia puts it better. Plastic solar panels imitate photosynthesis. 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.

So could nature hold the answer to unlocking renewable energy. Often biomimetic designs come from university research leading to patented products which could optimise the power environment.