Posted by m II on September 2, 2011, 1:18 pm
PV installations on roofs may coming to an end once the insurance companies
are done with the up and coming of live apparatus on a roof top during a
home fire preventing firefighters from performing their duties.
------------
Further, there are myriad practical reasons why we don't plant trees on our
rooftops. Perhaps you would like a tall wind force-gathering object mounted
on
the top of your house, but here in hurricane country that would never work.
Vaughn
Posted by Jim Wilkins on September 2, 2011, 2:01 pm
> ...> There are arrangements of solar panels that might optimize energy
> gathered per UNIT OF ROOF AREA, but none of those are liable to optimize
> energy gathered as a function of ENERGY (or money) INVESTED. To do that,
> you must point your precious, scarce, expensive panels directly at the
> sun, and nowhere else.
> Vaughn
I found that no one place on my roof sees the sun long enough. Ideally the
panels would be on a robot that chases the sun around tree shadows that
block half the lawn. Diesel powered, with tracks. Relocating them manually
two or three times a day is good enough for now since I'm retired.
jsw
Posted by Jim Wilkins on September 2, 2011, 1:43 pm
> ...
> It got me thinking how the Fibonacci series might apply to trees and how
> far it might be applicable to solar energy generation.
> Assuming that the evolution of trees has lead to an optimization of the
> leaf structure, why do trees display the structure that they do?
> ...
A critical difference is that tree branches can't cooperate for less
individual but greater mutual benefit, each branch competes with its
neighbors as though it was a separate organism. We aren't constrained to
leave an underperforming panel wherever it first sprouted and can move it
to a better location.
jsw
Posted by Morris Dovey on September 2, 2011, 2:12 pm
On 9/2/11 6:44 AM, Tom P wrote:
> It got me thinking how the Fibonacci series might apply to trees and how
> far it might be applicable to solar energy generation.
<some good thoughts snipped>
In considering the design of trees, keep in mind that trees aren't just
collections of leaves. :-)
A few more things to think about:
Trees have also evolved phototropism, and have evolved configurations
that depend on that characteristic.
Ongoing nourishment (water and fertilizer) are evolutionary concerns -
root systems must be in balance with the remainder of the tree for trees
to survive. Branch systems can't be allowed to outgrow root systems.
Trees dedicate a portion of their available resources to attracting and
supporting other organisms in the ecosystem who, in turn, enhance the
survival of trees in general.
Trees replace their sunlight collection elements fairly frequently - at
least once a year, by and large.
And, of course, tree design requires dedication of whatever resources
are required for reproduction.
--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
http://www.iedu.com/Solar/
Posted by Stephen Wolstenholme on September 2, 2011, 2:38 pm
wrote:
>Trees have also evolved phototropism, and have evolved configurations
>that depend on that characteristic.
Someone will soon be selling arrays of small phototropic solar panels.
Steve
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> gathered per UNIT OF ROOF AREA, but none of those are liable to optimize
> energy gathered as a function of ENERGY (or money) INVESTED. To do that,
> you must point your precious, scarce, expensive panels directly at the
> sun, and nowhere else.
> Vaughn