Technology Tuesdays: Solar Trees
Hello Partners!
I think we can all agree that trees are awesome! What if I said trees can be manufactured? Now, what if I said they can be manufactured to produce sustainable energy?
We depend on trees to clean the air, regulate the temperature, as well as a host of other things. As amazing and vital to our ecosystem as they are, they can’t produce sustainable energy. However, 3D printed trees can!
A research company called VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has developed a 3D printed tree with what amounts to solar panel technology built into each small leaf. These leaves are also dynamic in the fact they not only create energy through photovoltaic cells, but they can also store the energy they generate. These little leaves can also generate electricity when they vibrate meaning they can harvest wind energy as well as energy that is generated when the temperature changes.
3D printed trees are pretty incredible because they can do so much. Yet, another added benefit is the amount of space they (don’t) use to generate electricity. Think about a solar array as we know them to exist today. While they are absolutely necessary to meet our energy needs, the problem is they are not practical everywhere they are needed. Particularly where the value of land is at a premium. It may not make financial sense to use large areas of land for energy generation.
Researchers in India have developed a solar power tree that can produce 5 kW of electricity using only 4 square feet of area. The average square footage needed for solar panels to produce the same amount of energy is 306 square feet or 224 square feet of high efficiency solar panels. It is easy to see why these solar trees have an advantage over traditional solar panels.
The solar trees are made of recyclable materials and biowaste from the harvesting of real trees to make lumber. Therefore, their manufacturing and disposal processes are sustainable. This is just the beginning, but I would not be surprised if one day soon an entire neighborhood or city is powered by solar trees.
The savings never stop!
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Sources:
https://cleantechnica.com/2016/12/17/3d-printed-trees-harvest-energy-sun-wind-temperature/
https://petersendean.com/how-many-solar-panels-are-needed-to-power-an-average-house-in-america/#:~:text=For%20a%205kW%20system%2C%20you,feet%20of%20high%20efficiency%20panels