Solar trees generate electricity and save forests from deforestation

Researcher at the Korea Maritime Institute Dan-Bi Um proposed an unusual design of solar panels in the form of trees as an alternative to traditional solar power plants. 

Very often, real forests are cut down to make way for solar panels, which harms ecosystems. A number of recent studies show, that this is far from the most optimal solution. In this regard south korean researchers propose the design of solar panels in the form of trees, which solar cells will stretch upward like leaves. 

Unlike traditional panels, that require free space for installation, the innovative design of the proposed tree-shaped solar panels can be installed vertically in a real forest without the need to cut down trees. This design allows sunlight to penetrate the plants below while accumulating in the solar cells above.

Based on modeling results using Google Earth satellite images DanBiUm found, that innovative solar power plants allowed for the preservation of 99% of the forest, while in the case of traditional flat panels, no more than 2% of the forest remained. 

Traditional solar power plants require large areas. In South Korea, they would have to cut down large tracts of forest to install them. Between 2016 and 2018, deforestation associated with solar power plants in the country more than quadrupled.

The design of solar panels in the form of trees allows us to avoid deforestation. They are placed along hiking trails or at the edge of the forest at 20-meter intervals, as the researchers demonstrate, 63 such trees equipped with high-efficiency panels can produce the same amount of energy is as large as a conventional power plant (1 megawatt), without damaging the forest.

In cities, solar panels with this design could also create shade while generating electricity. Some models have ports for charging electric vehicles or benches with wireless charging. Researchers also note, their cooling effect in urban heat island areas, where rising summer temperatures threaten public health.

In South Korea, deforestation, associated with solar energy projects, increased from 529 hectares in 2016 to 2,443 hectares in 2018. Similar situations are happening all over the world, from the Amazon to the Appalachians. Therefore, an innovative design could solve one of the key environmental problems without forcing us to abandon one of the key sources of renewable energy. 

Solar trees already exist in the form of prototypes — from the one installed in 2017 near the South Korean National Assembly building, to what the Indian organization CSIR-CMERI calls “the largest solar tree in the world”, capable of producing 11,500 kilowatt-hours per year. However, so far, most studies have only looked at the efficiency of individual modules, not at comparing entire groves to large fields of solar panels. This study is the first to make such a direct comparison in coastal forests.

In South Korea, the cost of land is one of the highest in the world. This is because solar power plants in the form of trees require much less land than flat panels. They may be cheaper, especially in countries where land is scarce and expensive. 

Currently, a number of factors stand in the way. So far, very few companies produce panels specifically for solar power plants in the form of trees. The cost of such an installation remains more expensive than traditional flat panels. Efficiency is limited by shading between branches, although newer designs, such as helical or vertical, as in sunflowers, solve this problem.