4D printing and the self-orienting solar cell.
You've heard of 3D printing. It's cool stuff. 4D printing kicks it up a notch. It allows for materials that move themselves into various shapes under certain conditions. I'm fairly sure there are temperature sensitive 4D materials which allow for you to "toggle" it's shape by changing the ambient temperature. If that doesn't exist yet I don't doubt scientists could make that happen.
Anyway lets say we have 4D materials that respond to heat. My idea is to use those materials as a mount to place solar panels on. The intent is to have the material position itself so that the solar panel faces the sun as directly as possible. Essentially making self-facing solar cells powered by the heat of the sun. In action it would behave a lot like some plants do, so we can use them as a behavioral model on the most efficient angles.
Few caveats I thought about was how the heat would reach the 4D material if it's under the solar cell... Maybe it's not as much of an obstacle as my gut tells me but if it is a factor it could be worked around by using transparent solar panels. That way the light would pass through and the heat it carries would too. Those panels aren't as efficient as regular solar panels but perhaps the ability to self-position can make up for that somewhat.
There's also the variance of temperature from day to day. Insulation from ambient temperatures could be necessary. Perhaps layers of 4D materials that respond to different ranges of temperature can be used. The coldest materials being on the top (first exposed to the sun) with hotter-responding layers below.
Sources:
4D printing
https://www.ted.com/talks/skylar_tibbits_the_emergence_of_4d_printing?language=en
http://www.selfassemblylab.net/4DPrinting.php
Anyway lets say we have 4D materials that respond to heat. My idea is to use those materials as a mount to place solar panels on. The intent is to have the material position itself so that the solar panel faces the sun as directly as possible. Essentially making self-facing solar cells powered by the heat of the sun. In action it would behave a lot like some plants do, so we can use them as a behavioral model on the most efficient angles.
Few caveats I thought about was how the heat would reach the 4D material if it's under the solar cell... Maybe it's not as much of an obstacle as my gut tells me but if it is a factor it could be worked around by using transparent solar panels. That way the light would pass through and the heat it carries would too. Those panels aren't as efficient as regular solar panels but perhaps the ability to self-position can make up for that somewhat.
There's also the variance of temperature from day to day. Insulation from ambient temperatures could be necessary. Perhaps layers of 4D materials that respond to different ranges of temperature can be used. The coldest materials being on the top (first exposed to the sun) with hotter-responding layers below.
Sources:
4D printing
https://www.ted.com/talks/skylar_tibbits_the_emergence_of_4d_printing?language=en
http://www.selfassemblylab.net/4DPrinting.php
Comments
Post a Comment