In full boom of solar panels, appears on the market a photovoltaic flower that you can have in your garden. It produces up to 6,200 kWh. We are still talking about the furor caused by the wind turbine without blades that produces electricity. It left conventional solar panels shivering, a context that is being repeated with this highly efficient and aesthetic model.
Solar energy has become one of the most efficient and relevant energy sources in recent years. With climate change and the need to lower greenhouse gas emissions, solar energy has gained a privileged place on the renewable energy radar. It comes from the sun and is a renewable and sustainable energy source that generates no greenhouse gas emissions, making it an ideal alternative to traditional energy sources.
It is a clean, renewable energy source that does not release greenhouse gases or other atmospheric pollutants into the atmosphere. In addition, its use reduces dependence on fossil fuels, thus reducing its vulnerability to fluctuations in the price of oil and other fossil fuels. Until now, solar panels have been seen as the best allies of this type of energy, but this flower could be the end of them.
Farewell to conventional solar panels: the first photovoltaic flower has arrived
The photovoltaic flower we are talking about is a photovoltaic device called smartflower POP, a system that takes the shape of a sunflower, with 12 solar panel petals that unfold automatically when the sun appears in the morning. It generates between 3,400 and 6,200 KWH per year.
“Nature provided our inspiration, like so many other innovations,” expounded SmartFlower CEO Alexander Swatek when he presented the device. The device operates mounted on the ground and within a few hours compared to a rooftop installation.
It comes with a dual-axis tracker to follow the sun’s movement during the day and maximize its solar energy output. As reported on its website, this way of working increases about 40% of production compared to conventional rooftop solar panels of similar size.
The design of this system directly influences its capacity. It is composed of 12 petals that have their opening at the beginning of the day when the sun rises. Solar cells are added to these petals and when they close at the end of the day, they are also cleaned with brushes added to the back of each panel.
It is manufactured in Australia, although it can already be seen in operation in different parts of the world. Its updated +Plus version is the same as the base version, but has a battery to store solar energy. The SmartFlower EV system, designed for electric vehicle charging, has also arrived on the market.
Photovoltaic flower production per year: That’s how you get free electricity at home
Its annual generation is between 3,400 and 6,200 kWh per year, amounts that more than cover the average electricity consumption of a European household.
“The sunflower uses solar energy more efficiently than almost any other plant, so it seemed a fitting inspiration for a device designed to enable more people than ever before to produce their own clean energy for their home,” Swatek explained.
Its modules are back-ventilated, which means that their cooling is 10 to 20°C higher than conventional rooftop installations. In this way, their performance increases by 5-10%. When the wind reaches 54 km/h, it automatically retracts to prevent damage to the device, and when the wind drops, it deploys again in the same way.
This is how you can have your own photovoltaic flower in your garden by discarding the use of conventional solar panels, with an automatic and aesthetic system.
