Butterfly-type solar power generation design atlas

Could a black butterfly improve solar cell performance?

Scientists from KIT and Caltech utilize the disordered nanoholes of the black butterfly to improve solar cell performance. The wings of a butterfly have inspired a new type of solar cell that can harvest light twice as efficiently as before and could one day improve our solar panels.

Do butterfly wings increase solar power?

Here, we show that the attachment of butterfly wings to a solar cell increases its output power by 42.3%, proving that the wings are indeed highly reflective. Importantly and relative to current concentrators, the wings improve the power to weight ratio of the overall structure 17-fold, vastly expanding their potential application.

What is a butterfly solar concentrator?

The V-shaped design of the butterfly is therefore strikingly similar to the V-trough solar concentrator which uses mirrored side walls to focus light towards a small area of photovoltaic material 3, 26 ( Fig. 1d) thereby increasing the output power of any solar cell to which it is attached 4, 27. White butterflies as solar concentrators.

How do I use the Global Solar Atlas?

Welcome to the Global Solar Atlas. Start exploring solar potential by clicking on the map. Select sites, draw rectangles or polygons by clicking the respective map controls. Calculate energy production for selected sites. The Global Solar Atlas provides a summary of solar power potential and solar resources globally.

Could a butterfly make solar panels more efficient?

The wings of a butterfly have inspired a new type of solar cell that can harvest light twice as efficiently as before and could one day improve our solar panels. Solar panels are usually made of thick solar cells, and are positioned at an angle to get the most amount of light from the sun as it moves throughout the day.

Should solar panels be based on butterfly wings?

By mimicking the structure of butterfly wings when manufacturing solar panels in the future, we can reduce the amount of rare, toxic, and costly-to-mine PV material. This can reduce the overall weight of the solar panels, which has the added benefit of diminishing the cost and energy required to make and transport the devices.