Researchers at the University of Michigan have improved solar panel design and efficiency with the assistance of an unexpected source – the Japanese art of kirigami.
WHAT IS KIRIGAMI YOU ASK?
Kirigami sounds a little like origami, right? That’s because they are very similar Japanese art forms that use paper. Origami consists of folding paper to create objects like the popular crane. Using the same principles of folding as origami, kirigami includes cutting of the paper to enhance the symmetry of design.
KIRIGAMI IS PERFECT FOR SOLAR PANEL DESIGN
Conventional solar panels – you’ve probably seen them on the top of a building or lined up in a field – are limited in efficiency because they are designed to lay stationary and flat. Thus, direct sunlight hits the panel during a short period of the day. You can bring in motorized models that move with the sun, but these are very expensive and heavy for rooftops
To address these problems, associate professor of engineering and materials science and Max Shtein and his colleagues looked outside of their department, seeking the aid of Matthew Shilan, a paper artist and lecturer at the University of Michigan. Shilan proposed a simple kirigami pattern that consisted of stacked lines of dashes cut into a piece of paper. Schtein and doctoral student Aaron Lamoureux made an advanced version of the pattern on a sheet of plastic Kapton with individual solar cells on it.
HOW WAS KIRIGAMI DESIGN ADAPTED FOR SOLAR PANEL DESIGN?
The kirigami-designed panel was created by making small cuts into a sheet of plastic Kapton. The sheet then pulls apart into a mesh, which is contained within a larger panel. The mesh would then stretch, shift, and twist to track the sun, absorbing as much sunlight as possible throughout the day. This design also does away with the need for hulking motors.
“The beauty of our design is, from the standpoint of the person who’s putting this panel up, nothing would really change,” said Shtein. “But inside, it would be doing something remarkable on a tiny scale: the solar cell would split into tiny segments that would follow the position of the sun in unison.”
The kirigami-designed panel was put to the test in Arizona where it was able to produce 36% more solar energy than a traditional panel. A conventional motorized panel performed at 40% in comparison.
“We think it has significant potential, and we’re actively pursuing realistic applications,” Shtein said. “It could ultimately reduce the cost of solar electricity.”
The research was presented in a paper published by Nature Communications, and previously covered by Science Daily.
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