Ｗriter: Frances K. Ng

Imagine a sunflower that blooms every day of the year and produces electricity from the sunlight. Far from a figment of imagination, it is a recent artistic innovation, namely the Smartflower (or the ‘solar flower’) manufactured by a US-based company of the same name.

The Smartflower is a fully automated solar energy generation system designed to look like a flower: Its ‘petals’ are large solar panels that automatically unfold when the sun rises every day and face the sun at a 90-degree angle to produce electricity; at sunset or in high winds that reach a speed of at least 30 miles (48 kilometres) per hour, the petal-panels retract automatically to protect themselves from damage. With its algorithm-based dual-axis tracking system, the solar flower can automatically track the path of the sun; this function and the optimal angle of each petal to the sun allow the system to produce up to 40% more energy than conventional stationary solar panels. 

When its petals are fully unfolded, the Smartflower spans 16 feet in diameter, while the whole structure occupies 200 square feet of area. The elevated design of the solar flower provides natural cooling by letting air pass behind each petal, which boosts the overall productivity of each petal by up to 10%.

Another intelligent feature of the Smartflower is its self-cleaning function: Long brushes are attached to the underside of the outer edge of each petal; when the petals unfold or retract, the movements allow the long brushes to sweep the petals.

The fully autonomous functionality of the Smartflower is especially suitable for busy working people. Besides, its aesthetic design and greater efficiency compared with traditional stationary solar panels make the Smartflower a worthwhile option of renewable energy for buildings with ample open space.

Source:
1.    https://www.solarreviews.com/blog/solar-flower-smartflower-solar-tracker
2.    https://archive.curbed.com/2018/9/11/17845638/solar-panel-power-smartflower-united-states 
3.    https://smartflower.com

Image source: Archive.curbed.com