SMART ENERGY
designed in collaboration with potential customers , architects and suppliers to ensure an aesthetically attractive , functional and affordable alternative to conventional solar panels . The project was inspired by wind turbines , and from Corrigan ’ s reading about biomimicry and what can be done by copying nature .
The tree has been developed in collaboration with Co-Innovate – a business support programme which supports SMEs in London by using academic and innovation resources at Brunel University London , the Manufacturing Technology Centre ( MTC ) in Coventry and the AMRC ’ s Design and Prototyping Group – who will be conducting the prototype testing .
Overseeing all things SolarBotanic “ My role within SolarBotanic is overseeing R & D . From the start , I have taken the initial concept through various iterations , designed the concept by collaborating with an Innovation and business support scheme at Brunel University London called ‘ Co-Innovate ’ and funded various educational institutions in order to give bright engineering graduates the opportunity to develop something truly ground-breaking technologically , as well as aesthetically pleasing , which will contribute significantly to decarbonisation ,” Corrigan explains .
“ I would consider myself to be a serial entrepreneur , with over 40 years of experience in business in the US , Europe , Africa and Australasia .”
Challenges in developing SolarBotanic Tree Using a dome-shaped surface to host solar PV cells is challenging , since all cells receive different energy inputs from the sun and therefore have different amounts of energy generation .
Simulations have been performed to find the difference in generation in a typical year and to limit the influence lower-performing cells have on the higher-performing ones . This will be field-tested in Q1 of 2023 to validate the simulations .
Advantages over other solarpowered energy sources Regarding the tree itself , the dome is designed to capture as much sunlight as possible by utilising a 3D surface area which is elevated so that the land underneath can still be used , for example ,
80 February 2023