Solar Tree is an artificial tree that has been fabricated to withstand all weather conditions, and is made from tempered stainless steel and molded fiber-reinforced plastic. It has been created by the industrial designer Matthew Seibert. The height of this artificial tree is about 50-75 feet, with greater efficiency as it reaches further toward direct sunlight and higher velocity winds.
The Solar Tree is equipped with a battery pack placed at the bottom of the tree that stores the solar and wind power produced by it. An internal meter will monitor the stored energy and can be manually released for household consumption at the user’s discretion. The power stored in the battery is transformed into electricity that than is passed through a home’s wiring system.
The leaves of the tree are connected to a vertical-axis wind turbine. Every leaf has a grouping of high-efficiency photovoltaic solar cells that transmit electricity down the tree’s core. The solar cells are connected from the upper turbine to the trunk through wireless energy transfer by induction. The upper trunk also bears a large grouping of solar cells around its circumference.
Due to a clever alignment of lightweight design and fronds the wind turbine is rotated. The palm fronds are arranged to capture all directions of wind while still resembling a natural palm tree. The user can save on utility bills while contributing to a more sustainable lifestyle.
Anyone planning to build this tree in the close future?
[Source: Ecofriend]
