13 year old Aidan Dwyer explores a solar panel racking design to increase energy capturing efficiency.
from Aidan’s post on the American Museum of Natural History site:
“I designed and built my own test model, copying the Fibonacci pattern of an oak tree. I studied my results with the compass tool and figured out the branch angles. The pattern was about 137 degrees and the Fibonacci sequence was 2/5. Then I built a model using this pattern from PVC tubing. In place of leaves, I used PV solar panels hooked up in series that produced up to 1/2 volt, so the peak output of the model was 5 volts. The entire design copied the pattern of an oak tree as closely as possible.
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I compared my results on graphs, and they were interesting! The Fibonacci tree design performed better than the flat-panel model. The tree design made 20% more electricity and collected 2 1/2 more hours of sunlight during the day. But the most interesting results were in December, when the Sun was at its lowest point in the sky. The tree design made 50% more electricity, and the collection time of sunlight was up to 50% longer!”
Aidan’s study earned him a provisional U.S. patent. This is a fantastic example of deploying biomimicry to significantly improve a design. And how fresh eyes can find innovative insight in design situations previously thought resolved.
