These trees provide sustainable energy for the smart city
The more people use electric vehicles, the more public energy sources are needed. With so-called solar trees, the British company SolarBotanic Trees would like to bring a solution for sustainable energy in public spaces onto the market.
In our digitized world, electricity has become an essential commodity. However, ever-improving efficiency does not mean that demand will explode. The Federal Environment Agency determined some time ago that electricity consumption has been declining since 2007 and was most recently around 560 terawatt hours per year.
This will potentially change in the future, at least in the mobility sector. And the increasing popularity of electric vehicles requires a correspondingly intelligent infrastructure. That’s exactly what I want Company SolarBotanic Trees start. So-called solar trees, in English solar trees, are soon to become an integral part of the streetscape of cities and thus supply energy at any time.
Solar trees deliver up to five kilowatts of electricity
The Solar Trees are masts from which leaf-shaped solar cells hang. Using nanotechnology, they consist of thin and flexible cells. This means that a solar tree can generate around five kilowatts of electricity in regular operation.
In order to make this type of power generation possible, SolarBotanic Trees works together with various research institutions. So it’s no wonder that the first prototype is on the Sheffield University campus.
Technology complements the smart grid of the future
The goal of the developers is to generate electricity during the day and feed it into a local power grid. The supplied energy storage and the associated management system of the Solar Trees releases additional capacities or stores excess energy in batteries as required.
And it could not be long before the new technology appears on the streets of modern cities. Because SolarBotanic Trees presented the first prototype a few days ago. The engineers are now testing the technology in everyday use. It will then be seen whether the construction will have a future as a local or urban power system.
If the pilot proves successful, the aim is to make the solar trees part of the smart grid of the future. The first generation of Solar Trees should appear on the market by early 2023 at the latest.
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