Human expression dances together with captured sunlight in an epic performance every night. Located on a hilltop at the Waterloo Regional Operations Centre is a one-of-a-kind sculpture known as Solar Collector. The Solar Collector reflects the human expressions and solar power collected during the day in a performance that takes place at night. This performance is all thanks to twelve towering aluminum shafts that stretch into the sky and collect sunlight and the creativity of people.
An eclectic mix of solar power and human expressions
Designed by Gorbet Design Inc., the Solar Collector is an interactive sculpture that comprises twelve shafts differing in length and angles that are determined by solar geometry lighting. Each shaft has three panels along with three clusters of LEDs that convert the collector into a hybrid that reflects artistic possibility and photovoltaic efficiency.
During the day, the solar panels are angled to collect the sun’s energy, and they keep this energy stored in hidden batteries inside the shaft. Since web-based technology is included in the mix, anyone with a strong internet connection can visit the solar collector’s website to create their unique wave-based light pattern. All of the designs submitted by users during the day become building blocks during the evening’s communal light performance, where light and motion merge.
Setting the solar stage for performances at night
The sculpture awakens at dusk to collect energy from the sun and then to use that stored energy to power up a wonderful amalgamation of light patterns generated by the public. The initiative is not to bring random performances to the fore but reflects an exciting collaboration of expression along with the shared movement of light. Every shaft flows in alignment with the compositions that were submitted during the day, eventually fizzling out once all the stored energy from the day has been used up.
At night, a wonderfully lit ballet happens on stage. When the day is very sunny, performance durations will be longer at night. On cloudy days, the performance might end more quickly. The whole performance solidifies the message that human life is inevitably linked with the sun’s energy.
The sun’s angles shape the direction of the sculpture
The best part is not the reliance on web-based controls or the technological advancement, but the form of the Solar Collector. The sculpture’s design can change in response to the sun’s changing path. All twelve shafts are thus angled into a graceful curve that tilts based on the sun’s altitude during different times of the year.
Despite magically coming alive in a performance at night, there are two other moments that the Solar Collector showcases its magic, and these two times of the year show that the Solar Collector is somewhat of a magical sculpture. Like the first-ever solar bloom, this Solar Collector will take your breath away.
Two times of the year when the solar collector performs magic
The two times of the year that the solar collector becomes magical are the summer solstice and the winter solstice. During the winter solstice, the longest shaft faces towards the lower angle of the sun. At the time of the summer solstice, the shortest shaft is in alignment with the high sun of summer, capturing the sun’s energy when the sun is just overhead. The ability of the shafts to fall in alignment so well with the sun’s position is the true magic of this solar structure.
Each shaft plays its role in projecting the Earth’s journey around the sun. Due to the ability of the structure to align with the sun, solar collection is always at its peak. The Solar Collector is not just a stage but a mirror that mirrors people’s relationship with each other and their planet. Twice a year, the Solar Collector serves as a reminder that we are dancing together. While the solar panel that deflects the sun was seen as the most powerful solar panel, this Solar Collector is powerful too because it dances with the sun.
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