Artificial Trees Capture Solar and Wind Energy
A London-based startup called Solar Botanic announced yesterday that it has designed lifelike artificial plants and trees that harvest the power of the sun and the wind. The key to the company’s claim is its Nanoleaf— a supposed energy-capturing powerhouse.
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The Nanoleaf contains photovoltaic and thermovoltaic cells that capture the sun’s energy, as well as voltaic twigs and branches that create electricity whenever they are stretched or compressed by the wind.
Unfortunately, neither the Solar Botanic press release or website says exactly how much power an artificial tree or plant can create. But the company estimates that an average-sized tree with a 6 sq meter canopy could generate enough energy for a single household.
In addition to powering homes, Solar Botanic envisions its creation powering motorways, suburban streets, and parks—anywhere that groups of trees are often found.
I’m interested in where this company will go in the future, as many people will probably be more willing to tolerate clusters of energy-producing trees in their neighborhoods than solar panels or wind turbines. But I imagine that large-scale production of the technology is a long way off since Solar Botanic provides minimal details about its plans.
Photo Credit: Solar Botanic
Sounds like BS to me.
the site has a figure of in plane principal stresses cropped right out of mechanics of materials textbook superimposed on a illustration of a leaf.
Wow, this looks expensive. read: not practical.
Seriously, don’t you this just smell like a hoax to you? I mean you look at all sorts of clean energy projects, and I realise some are more out there than others, but really, solar powered trees? It’s satire you fools.
Wow! What a great idea!
It would be really cool if they could make a version that also converts carbon dioxide into oxygen.
Oh wait… they’re called TREES!
I’m all for coming up with inventive ways to hide technology under our noses to produce the energy we need to live, but this looks like a step toward making nature obsolete and artificial.
That’s not a good thing, and it can’t be ignored that making fake trees is heading in that direction.
How is it a hoax? If you can model photosynthesis, and if you can model systems that generate electricty from mechanical energy, in a nanostructure, then why not? Nature is very nano-like.