Solar Trees With Nanoleaves

London-based SolarBotanic is bringing the art of the fake Christmas tree to solar power. We’ve written quite a bit about solar trees in the past, but previous designs were more like trees in concept than in appearance — carports, streetlights, and more extravagant designs. SolarBotanic, however, plans to stretch biomimetics to the limit by producing solar powered trees that actually looking like trees — leaves, trunk, and all.

SolarBotanic Trees would have “Nanoleaves” that convert solar power into electricity. Now, before I go any further, I can’t help but express my humble opinion that fake plastic trees are not the best way to transform our urban landscapes. Solar nanotechnology has wide-ranging potential. Using such technology, power producing solar products could be applied to just about any surface downtown or anywhere. So why the need for rows of plastic trees lining our boulevards?

Two reasons. For one, and this is really neat. SolarBotanic’s Nanoleaves create electricity in three ways:

1. Nanophotovoltaic generators in the leaf directly convert solar energy to electricity.
2. Nanothermoelectric cells convert solar heat to electricity.
3. Nanopiezo generators can also convert wind energy into electricity.

Secondly, these solar trees could offer frequent plug-in stations for the electric vehicles and hybrids of the near and distant future. According to SolarBotanic, this trifecta of energy production (given a tree canopy of 20 feet in diameter) will produce enough electricity to power the average home, producing 120,000 kWh over a two decade life span.

SolarBotanic Trees would come as broad leaf trees (producing 3500-7000 kWh/year), Evergreen trees (2500-7000 kWh/year) or as shrubs, plants, roof, wall “carpets” and fencing.

SolarBotanic was founded last year and as yet has no working model to show off, which means their rather revolutionary product is still untested. I really like the idea of converting light, heat, and wind energy simultaneously and we’ll have to wait and see if their idea pans out. But I don’t see it as very necessary, assuming the ultimate success and full-potential-realization of solar nanotechnology in general. Let us not forget the awesome power and necessity of really-real trees — the ones that digest all that extra carbon floating around — in our cities and towns.

Fake plastic trees just seem too involved. Take production; how do you roll a 20 foot wide tree off an assembly line at an affordable price? Secondly, as I mentioned earlier, more integrated products such as solar windows, paint or siding would make better use of space and material. A beautiful idea, but necessary?