From the UNIVERSITY OF EXETER
Butterflies heat up the field of solar research
The humble butterfly could hold the key to unlocking new techniques to make solar energy cheaper and more efficient, pioneering new research has shown.
A team of experts from the University of Exeter has examined new techniques for generating photovoltaic (PV) energy – or ways in which to convert light into power.
They showed that by mimicking the v-shaped posture adopted by Cabbage White butterflies to heat up their flight muscles before take-off, the amount of power produced by solar panels can increase by almost 50 per cent.
Crucially, by replicating this ‘wing-like’ structure, the power-to-weight ratio of the overall solar energy structure is increased 17-fold, making it vastly more efficient.
The research by the team from both the Environment and Sustainability Institute (ESI) and the Centre for Ecology and Conservation, based at the University of Exeter’s Penryn Campus in Cornwall, is published in the leading scientific journal, Scientific Reports.
Professor Tapas Mallick, lead author of the research said: “Biomimicry in engineering is not new. However, this truly multidisciplinary research shows pathways to develop low cost solar power that have not been done before.”
The Cabbage White butterflies are known to take flight before other butterflies on cloudy days – which limit how quickly the insects can use the energy from the sun to heat their flight muscles.
This ability is thought to be due to the v-shaped posturing, known as reflectance basking, they adopt on such days to maximise the concentration of solar energy onto their thorax, which allows for flight.
Furthermore, specific sub-structures of the butterflies’ wings allow the light from the sun to be reflected most efficiently, ensuring that the flight muscles are warmed to an optimal temperature as quickly as possible.
The team of scientists therefore investigated how to replicate the wings to develop a new, lightweight reflective material that could be used in solar energy production.
The team found that the optimal angle by which the butterfly should hold its wings to increase temperature to its body was around 17 degrees, which increased the temperature by 7.3 degrees Centigrade compared to when held flat.
They also showed that by replicating the simple mono-layer of scale cells found in the butterfly wings in solar energy producers, the could vastly improve the power-to-weight rations of future solar concentrators, making them significantly lighter and so more efficient.
Professor Richard ffrench-Constant, who conducts world-leading research into butterfly mimicry at the University of Exeter, said: “This proves that the lowly Cabbage White is not just a pest of your cabbages but actually an insect that is an expert at harvesting solar energy.”
The paper, White butterflies as solar photovoltaic concentrators, by Katie Shanks, Dr Senthilarasu Sundaram, Professor Richard ffrench-Constant and Professor Tapas Mallick from the University of Exeter, is available online.
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The panel design is a physics — primarily optical — problem which should be possible to adequately model with moderate processing resources. Are they just looking for inspiration?
Well I scanned the comments up until this time, and saw none that took issue with the statement:
“…could vastly improve the power-to-weight rations of future solar concentrators, making them significantly lighter and so more efficient.”
If the PV cells were going to fly, or even move over land or water, power-to-weight might be an important consideration, but I fail to see how making PV cell lighter increases their efficiency in converting sunlight into electricity. ll
+1
Shipping costs and installation.
If it is heavier to move or requires more/heavier support structures to mount, it is going to cost more.
Doesn’t increase operational efficiency.
Does do what Felflames says.
Does blow away within the first year of installation, and therefore is an even greater job creator and boost to the economy than the typical green crap.
“…therefore is an even greater job creator and boost to the economy…”
I believe that’s almost an exact quote from Nancy Pelosi, isn’t it?
The Cabbage White butterflies are known to take flight before other butterflies on cloudy days – which limit how quickly the insects can use the energy from the sun to heat their flight muscles.
Well there ya go, the butterflies have the same problem with solar that the rest of us do. When the sun doesn’t shine enough, they’re screwed.
Just a potshot or two, which should suffice:
The reflectance basking hypothesis is addressed here by Bernd Heinrich:
Is Reflectance Basking Real?
Full pdf:
http://jeb.biologists.org/content/154/1/31.full.pdf
From Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pieris_rapae
Steve, that is absolutely hilarious. All of the handwaving about solar, and it turns out that the wing elevation has nothing to do with solar, it’s to cut down on convective cooling … and I had a look at their analysis, it looks pretty bullet-proof.
Why does it look bullet-proof?
Because unlike most folks these days, they did the actual experiments with actual butterflies rather than computer simulations … and it is hard to argue with experimental results.
Great find, interesting experiments, my best laugh all day.
Many thanks,
w.
The artificial trees in Singapore look hideous. I wonder how much “fossil fuel” was burnt to gather and arrange all the materials used to construct them?
I would hazard a guess that most solar installations are a net energy sink. A study from 2 years ago claimed the industry was on the verge of being an actually supply…
===============================
“I think that this paper shows that actually the industry is making positive strides and it’s even in spite of its fantastically fast growth rates, it’s still producing, or it’s just about to start producing, a net energy benefit to society,” Dale said.
Most solar panels manufacturers now consume lots of electricity, usually pulled from coal or other fossil fuel-burning plants. Stanford News pointed to the example of melting silica rock to obtain the silicon used in most panels. The melting requires electricity to fire ovens to a temperature of about 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
Solar panels’ energy balance is now tipping, however, because newer technologies reduce that electricity consumption. For example, some newer panels require less silicon, or waste less material in the manufacturing process. Researchers are also looking to replace silicon with more abundant elements, such as copper, zinc, tin and carbon.
http://www.popsci.com.au/science/solar-panels-now-make-more-electricity-than-they-use,379327
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“More abundant”…
===========
Silicon – 27%
Copper – 0.0068%
Zinc – 0.0078%
Tin – 0.00022%
Carbon – 0.18%
http://www.periodictable.com/Properties/A/CrustAbundance.an.log.html
===========
When I see a solar panel factory producing 100% of their power requirements from their own products, I might buy one.
Great idea! I am pro solar panels, since I consider real green energy. There are also some sources of alternative energy, like he offshore wind parks (see them here: http://climate-ocean.com/2015/K/k-.pdf) but I believe that we haven’t study enough their impact over the ocean and the climate, and I still have some doubts in calling them “green energy”.
A little PTFE, a little Raspberry pi, a little DC motor and a mini rod of aluminium ( english spellling) is not beyond the reach of modern man, mash together with a few bolts and viola you have a single axis tracking solar system,
next physical experiment.. take 2 solar panels, laid flat. perpendicular to the sun and measure output, fold panels along joint to angles less than 180 deg and continue to measure output while brushing away the detritus building up along the fold, so perhaps lets ignore the angle stuff for the moment, with their own research money, just go for a new surface treatment/texture that will/could improve efficiency and then break into the market, they could use one of the those redundant gone bust closed down solar panel factories that are lying around.
me I`ll just look to change my windows for double glazed units and put a little insulation in the walls and loft,
regards
When I looked at solar by getting a small solar array and measuring the power I found the actual return compared to rated is about 7% given the amount of cloud we get here. How do the companies that sell these things get way with their wildly hyped claims?
Aesthetically these bodged on additions to houses are a disgusting blight. Built in they can be almost invisible. As for solar “parks” it is a total disgrace that good agricultural land should be blighted by these disgraceful pointless and ugly monstrosities.
“Green” energy harkens back to the days of when “special elixirs” were peddled, and touted to have “amazing” health benefits, capable of fixing just about whatever ailed you. They are nothing more than snake oil salesmen, aided and abetted by our own government.
I’d be worried about the “butterfly effect” causing unintended consequences.
I am surprised it was not an attempt to improve the butterfly by genetically altering it to mimic existing solar panels.
The hybris consensus among the new breed of PC.scientists assume that (the flawed) nature should follow scientific models closer. Besides Butterflies have no vote when we vote for what is true.
Lysenko is probably rotating in his grave.
The fliting flight of the butterfly is an adaptation, it makes it harder for the birds to catch them.
I’m sure there are video’s of birds chasing down butterflies.
Most birds I’ve seen catch a butterfly, tear the wings off, then swallow the remains.
Wanna talk about a predatory instinct that has been honed over millions of years ?
Don’t use solar panels, collect sunlight into fiber-optic cables which are then switched on and off to form an electric current in a wire coil around the fiber-optic cable.