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Politics : The Exxon Free Environmental Thread -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Wharf Rat who wrote (3970)	7/7/2009 2:59:27 PM
From: Wharf Rat	Respond to of 49109

Power Plants: Artificial Trees That Harvest Sun and Wind to Generate Electricity A start-up proposes forests of fake trees with "leaves" that soak up sunshine and flutter in the breeze to generate clean solar and wind power. Could it just be crazy enough to work? By Adam Hadhazy GOING OUT ON A LIMB: A new company called Solar Botanic plans to build artificial trees that reap solar and wind energy. Solar Botanic While on a train ride to visit his sister in the Netherlands in 2002, where monstrous wind turbines now mar scenic views, Alex van der Beek got an idea: Instead of ruining the natural landscape with conventional technology, why not generate electricity from something that blends in—a fake tree? Van der Beek—whose previous professional experience was teaching alternative medicine—founded Solar Botanic, Ltd., in London last year on the concept. Solar Botanic's ambitious plan involves bringing together three different energy-generation technologies—photovoltaics (aka solar power, or electricity from visible sunlight), thermoelectrics (electricity from heat) and piezoelectrics (electricity from pressure)—all in the unassuming shape of a leaf on its stem. Place thousands of these units, dubbed nanoleaves, on a natural-looking, though fake plastic tree—and one could have electricity production without spoiling natural landscapes, van der Beek says. In addition to solar power, as rustling wind or falling rain disturbs the false leaves, nanogenerators in their petioles—the stalks connecting them to a branch—could generate small amounts of piezoelectrical power, van der Beek says. And thermoelectrics, like photovoltaics, take advantage of the sun, but rather than harvesting light, it converts the low-energy waves we feel as heat into electricity. At present, Solar Botanic is exploring several designs, from palm trees to broad leaves as well as flowers and shrubbery. Van der Beek predicts a tree with a canopy 20 feet (six meters) in diameter that provides a surface area of roughly 1,200 square feet (110 square meters) could power an average home, whereas groves of them could make ample amounts of electricity in and around population centers. "These trees could help avoid the long land lines that bring electricity to cities and homes," van der Beek says. Solar Botanic hasn't settled on materials, but the nanoleaves would likely rely on highly efficient, thin-film solar cells, perhaps made of copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS), to convert sunlight into an electric current, van der Beek says. Installation of an energy harvesting tree, van der Beek says, would simply require drilling a hole and then anchoring the extended tree trunk and base in the ground. The branches would go on much like those of an artificial Christmas tree, segment by segment. Should a section or leaf get damaged, customers could swap it out for a new or repaired piece of hardware, says van der Beek. Power lines running underground would bring the energy to a home or a central power storage area; inverters for turning the direct current generated by the faux tree into usable alternating current could go in the trunk or a nearby dwelling. Van der Beek envisions the trees lining roadways, trapping heat and capturing the whirling winds of passing tractor-trailers. Artificial trees with electrical outlets in mall parking lots could charge electric vehicles while the owner shops, he says. The company's "trees" would approximate the real thing as closely as possible. "We want to keep the outside resembling a natural tree, so that means no nuts and bolts," van der Beek says. Though the trunk would be made primarily of recycled materials including plastic bottles and car tires, van der Beek says it would also contain liquefied waste biomass—wood—processed via a steam-combustion technique developed at the State Institute of Wood Chemistry in Riga, Latvia. "The result is a fluid product that we mold into any form we like, so therefore we should be able to create trees that look, feel and smell like real wood," van der Beek says. The leaves wouldn't be shiny like a solar panel, either. 1 2 3 scientificamerican.com