How could Biomimicry be the solution to clean energy production through solar power

How can Biomimicry be the solution to clean energy production through Solar Power?

By James Andrew Burnside W13006429 (Word Count - 5866)

A Dissertation presented at the Northumbria University for the degree of BA with Honours in Design for Industry

January 2017

ABSTRACT “We have enough coal to last hundreds of years. But if we step up production to fill the gap left through depleting our oil and gas reserves, the coal deposits we know about will only give us enough energy to take us as far as 2088.� (Ecotricity, 2016)

This dissertation will be an exploration of how the development of renewable energy sources has become an increasing priority in many developing countries. Focusing predominately on solar power but touching on other sustainable energy sources, it will demonstrate how depleting fossil fuels and an increase in the average power consumption per person has forced us to pursue more sustainable energy solutions to produce enough power to sustain modern day humanity. Furthermore, it will question how in this pursuit for a renewable energy source, how much have we looked to Nature to provide answers for the energy crisis and how can nature provide more answers in the future.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract

p.x

Contents List of Figures

p.2

Introduction

p.3

Chapter 1- Rise of Technology 1.1 What is the need for the development of clean energy production?

p.6

1.2 How was the Solar panel developed?

p.9

1.3 Current problems with PV solar energy production?

p. 12

Chapter 2- Rise of the Natural World 2.1 Sustainable energy in nature

p.15

2.2 How has the solar panel design mimicked aspects of nature?

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2.3 Nature: the template for further solar panel development

p.21

Chapter 3- What we aim to achieve 3.1 Ants: the perfect role-model for clean energy production through solar

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3.2 Barriers of change

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3.3 Possible futures for solar

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Conclusion

p. 31

References

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Bibliography

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List of Figures (Figure 1) EarthSky, (2012). Janine Benyus: Biomimicry is innovation inspired by nature. [image] Available at: http://earthsky.org/human-world/janine-benyus-biomimicry-is-innovation-inspired-by-nature [Accessed 7 Jan. 2017].

(Figure 2) GutiĂŠrrez, L. (2012). World Energy Consumption Since 1820 in Charts. A Journal of Solidarity and Sustainability, [online] 8(5), p.1. Available at: http://www.pelicanweb.org/solisustv08n05page6.html [Accessed 29 Nov. 2016]. rd

(Figure 3) Boyle, G (2012). Renewable Energy 3 edition (Oxford University Press).

(Figure 4) Unknown (between 1890 and 1905) Reproduced by AG, Zurich, Switzerland Publishing company Available at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Circular_Roman_Bath,_Bath,_c1900.jpg (Figure 5) Darling, D. (2017). Archimedes and the burning mirrors. [online] Daviddarling.info. Available at: http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/A/Archimedes_and_the_burning_mirrors.html [Accessed 6 Jan. 2017].

(Figure 6) Riley, M. (2015). When Under Stress Conditions, Plants Send Animal Like Signals. [online] The Monitor Daily. Available at: http://www.themonitordaily.com/when-under-stress-conditions-plants-sendanimal-like-signals/24482/ [Accessed 7 Jan. 2017].

(Figure 7) Steel, J. (2015). British Snakes. [image] Available at: http://www.jasonsteelwildlifephotography.yolasite.com/british-snakes.php [Accessed 7 Jan. 2017].

(Figure 8) Solar, A. (2012). Structure of solar panels. [image] Available at: http://pv.energytrend.com/research/Biomimicry_Solar_20120509.html [Accessed 7 Jan. 2017].

(Figure 9) Unknown, Stance of a butterfly. (2005). [image] Available at: http://www.janrik.net/insects/FastAction/BlueTakingOff/BlueTakeoff.html [Accessed 7 Jan. 2017].

(Figure 10) W, J. (2012). Termite. [image] Available at: http://www.treehugger.com/natural-sciences/natureblows-my-mind-miracles-termite-mounds.html [Accessed 6 Jan. 2017].

(Figure 11)Burnside, J (2017)Sketches of what the solar panel could look like in the future (Figure 12) BBC, (2016). Grass cutter ants. [image] Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04jjg8r/p04jjdbw [Accessed 8 Jan. 2017].

(Figure 13) Barnatt, C. (2014). Future Visions: Space-Based Solar Power. [image] Available at: http://www.explainingthefuture.com/visions/vision_sbsp.html [Accessed 8 Jan. 2017].

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Introduction This dissertation aims to address the correlation between the natural world and the design decisions behind the development of the solar panel; arguing how this connection could hold the key to clean energy production through solar in the future. This dissertation will discuss how the link between the two has already been used in order to influence many different aspects of the production of clean energy through solar power; from the researching, manufacturing and form of the solar panel to the efficiency and the storage of the energy produced by them. Furthermore, it shall debate how by mimicking these different aspects of the natural world the production of clean energy has progressed in the last ten years.

This type of design thinking is called biomimicry (Bio meaning life, mimicry meaning to imitate), a movement founded by Janine Benyus (Figure 1) (author of Biomimicry-Innovation Inspired by Nature). It is defined as an “approach to innovation that seeks sustainable solutions to human challenges by emulating nature’s time-tested patterns and strategies” (Biomimicry Institute, 2016). This theory has brought to light many problems, solutions, questions and criticisms that otherwise may not have been highlighted by the production of clean energy alone.

(Figure 1) Interview with Janine Benyus about what biomimicry is. (EarthSky, 2012)

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The first chapter will delve into the origins of the utilisation of solar energy for the use of mankind with a view to follow the development through time until present day. This chapter will comment on the design choices that have gone into creating the solar panel, looking at the structure, locations of placement and material choices that have been selected in order to harness the nuclear fission energy of the sun. Subsequently, this chapter will further examine the design choices and highlight the problems that have been uncovered within the development of the solar panel.

The second chapter will firstly consider how the earth has existed for 4.5 billion years without human interference and question how “living things have done everything we want to do, without guzzling fossil fuels, polluting the planet, or mortgaging their future” (Benyus, 2002). It will examine nature’s utilisation of sustainable elements such as wind, fire and rain in order to provide its own utopia of sustainable energy sources, from the reproduction of plants to the destruction at the end of life; it will demonstrate how energy is never wasted within nature.

Moreover, this chapter will explore the uses of sunlight in the natural world, discovering nature not only uses sunlight for energy but harnesses it in unique ways, for example as protection or a weapon. The main focus of this chapter is to examine how sunlight as an energy source is stored in nature; by highlighting how it produces enough energy to sustain life and produces other elements such as the wind, for example “the sun heats up and moves air masses. Many animals and plants use the energy of the wind in a clever way “(Cerutti, 2012)

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The final chapter will reflect on how nature holds the answers to the problems we are facing with the development of clean sustainable energy through solar power, highlighting why we still lack the capability of matching nature. To conclude it will look in depth at what decisions were made in the past regarding the solar panel and how this could affect the future development in order to better the energy production of solar power.

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Chapter 1- Rise of Technology 1.1 What is the need for the development of clean energy production?

Energy is defined as the “power derived from the utilization of physical or chemical resources� (Oxford Dictionary, 2016) and this is essential to life on Earth. This being said there are various forms of energy: chemical energy, electrical energy, thermal energy, light (radiant energy), mechanical energy and nuclear energy (California Energy Commission, 2012). These energies can be used in many different ways, from the growing of crops to powering a television. Without energy on Earth there could be no life, however the utilising of these energies can also threaten this life depending on whether they are sourced from a clean or dirty source. Recent studies have shown that we are using too much dirty energy to sustain life and this is a threat to our way of living.

The utilisation of electrical energy (electricity) was discovered in 1752 by Benjamin Franklin and ever since then we have been discovering new ways to use and produce it. The production of electricity became more prominent within mankind from the dawn of the industrial revolution in 1760, where the shift between hand crafting products to the use of machinery has created a higher demand on the production of electricity. Ever since then a constant increase on the demand for electricity production per year has occurred. (Figure2)

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(Figure 2) World energy consumption by source, based on Vaclav Smil estimates from energy transitions: history, requirements and prospects together with BP statistics data for 1965 and subsequent years.

(GutiĂŠrrez, 2012)

As we move into the information age there is a constant demand for electricity and a strong dependence on fossil fuels. The World Nuclear Association speculates that over 80% of electrical energy comes from non-renewable resources such as coal, gas and crude oil however these sources are not sustainable. Consequently these sources are the cause of many different complications we face today within the environment, including climate change, air pollution, oil spills, and acid rain (Pacific Environment, 2016), thus the continuation of using non-renewable resources will render the planet uninhabitable in the future. Furthermore, these fossil fuels are slow in their development as they can take millions of years to form, as a result these fossil fuels will eventually run out, recent studies suggest by 2088. In recent years due to the high demand along with the shortage of these fossil fuels there has been a rapid increase in price. This “fuel crises, concerns about global environmental threats, the urgent needs for energy in expanding new economies of the former third world have all contributed to an ever increasing growth of renewable energy technologies.� (Jamieson and Hassan, 2011) 7|Page

In a bid to minimalize fossil fuel usages; “with energy demand set to double by 2050” (World Energy Council, 2007) and to curve the damage that the planet is obtaining from human energy generation, considerable interest has risen in using developing more renewable resources. These renewable energy sources are easier to obtain and are more sustainable, this not only lowers the price of energy but are less damaging to the environment as they are sources from events that occur naturally in nature. This energy is obtained through sources such as “solar cells, wind turbines, tidal wave turbines, biofuel sources, geothermal technologies, and nuclear reactors to achieve lower cost of electric generation” (Jha, 2011). Although these renewable resources are far from perfect as the technology needed to utilise them to their full potential is not advanced enough. However, in spite of this research has shown that one renewable energy source that could hold the key to clean energy is the solar panel as there is the most energy regularly available in this sustainable resource (Figure 3).

(Figure 3) . Table to show energy flows and sources (annual amounts in exajoules (EJ)) (Boyle, 2012)

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1.2 How was the solar panel developed?

The use of solar energy is by no means new; there is evidence of using the energy from the sun as far back as the 7th century B.C. This entailed glass being used in order to concentrate the sun’s rays to start fires (U.S. Department of Energy, 2002). However it was not until the 1st century A.D that the solar rays where stored for a purpose. This was accomplished by the roman bathing houses (figure 4), the romans built these houses with large south facing windows in which the sun’s thermal energy would heat the stagnant water which would then be used for bathing and washing. This storing of warm water demonstrated the most basic type of solar power production- thermal solar energy.

(Figure 4) The Baths of Trajan, built in ancient Rome starting from 104 AD (Unknown, between 1980 and 1905)

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This type of thermal solar energy is still used even today in countries such as Greece, Israel and other countries developing warm climates as a way of “producing heat from the sun’s infrared radiation to heat water, air or other fluids, this technology is simple compared to photovoltaic technology, and therefore less costly” (Labouret and Villoz, 2010). This process involves large black metal sheets in order to heat large tanks to supply households without central heating with hot water. This type of solar energy production is however very basic and does not produce electrical energy charge, consequently its limitations outweigh the amount of energy it can produce. This has pushed us to look further into developing the solar panel through thermodynamic or photovoltaic solar energy production.

(Figure 5) Artist interpretation of Archimedes using the sun rays to set fire to ships (Darling, 2017)

The foundation of thermodynamic solar energy production can be seen “as early as 212 BC, the Greek scientist, Archimedes, used the reflective properties of bronze shields to focus sunlight and to set fire to wooden ships from the Roman Empire which were besieging Syracuse (Figure 5). (Although no proof of such a feat exists, the Greek navy recreated the experiment in 1973 and successfully set fire to a wooden boat at a distance of 50 meters.)”

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(U.S. Department of Energy, 2002) This principle has since been adapted in solar power generation to produce energy by reflecting the suns infrared rays into one focal point where it is used to create heat energy and produce steam from boiling liquids. This steam energy turns a turbine and produces electrical current through kinetic energy. However this type of solar power requires direct sun light in order to produce the heat needed to boil the liquid and therefore is only practical in hot climates or at high altitudes (Diesendorf, 2014).

It was not until 1904 when Albert Einstein published his research and technical paper explaining his theory about the photoelectric effect that a real breakthrough in solar energy technology occurred. This paper stated that light rays emitted from the sun could be observed as both a particle and a wave simultaneously and “when UV light hits a metal surface, it causes an emission of electrons� (EPFL, 2015). This theory provided a basic understanding of the potential of harvesting that electrical energy from UV light and provided the foundations for developing photovoltaic solar energy technology. Although this held the most potential for electrical energy production, we currently have not even begun to tap this energy source to its full potential.

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1.3 Current problems with PV solar energy production.

The sun emits 8.2 million quads of energy per year, all of which have the potential to be converted to electricity if we are successfully able to harvest it. “Each day more solar energy falls to the Earth than the total amount of energy the planet’s 6 billion inhabitants would consume in 25 years” (Datschefski, 2001) thus if we were able to tap into this potentially unlimited source of energy we would have clean energy until the sun itself extinguished.

This has created a high demand for photovoltaic solar energy production, however with the foundations for this sustainable energy production dating back hundreds of years it is necessary to look into why global solar energy production still only amounts for only 1% of global electricity demand. (According to Energy Post, 2015) Global public support for renewables.      

Solar power Wind power Hydro power Natural gas Coal Nuclear

97% 93% 91% 80% 48% 38%

A table of public support for renewable energy sources - Source: From a June 2011 IPSOS public opinion survey in 24 countries (IPSOS,2011)

These statistics show that solar power has received a lot of support from the public for a way of producing renewable energy. Furthermore with governments targets set on the shift between non-renewable energy to sustainable renewable energy (overall EU renewable energy targets by 2020 of 20% of energy from renewables) the blame on the shortfall for clean energy production through PV solar moves onto the technology that has been developed in order to utilise this almost unlimited energy source.

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With present day technology, a silicon PV module of 1m² only provides an output efficiency of 10%. When compared to coal which has an efficiency of 43% (Hanjalić, Krol and Lekić, 2008) it seems impractical and therefore cannot compete with the burning of this fuel.

This has resulted in the shift towards clean energy through solar to be slower than predicted. There are several factors that still prevents solar from becoming a primary source of electricity, these include:

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Surface area and materials- “Solar panels need as much surface area as possible to maximize the energy they produce from the sun’s rays” (Forbes, 2006). This has proved problematic due to the aesthetics of the panel itself; whilst many want the clean energy from the panels, they are not so keen on the farms or instalments on house roofs.

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Duration of radiation received- “Electric grids cannot function unless they are able to balance supply and demand. An imbalance results in voltage fluctuations” (Wile, 2013).Within the context of solar energy this also proves problematic as we cannot

control the supply (Radiation from the sun) and therefore cannot guarantee a constant supply of electricity as it depends on factors such as the weather, which may cause fluctuations from low intensity to high intensity of energy production.

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

Efficient storage- Currently there are only two ways to address the efficiency of storage. The first is to address the electrical grid, this occurs through the use of smart grids that try to regulate energy in order to eliminate the fluctuations in the supply and demand and secondly, through batteries. These batteries capture any excess energy over the standard energy output and store the electricity until it is needed. This technique however is impractical as solar power generation is not wide spread enough to justify the expense of the use of the batteries, the best of which (lithium-ion battery packs) costing a whopping $1000 per kilowatt hour.

In a bid to find answers to these problems developers have been looking for

inspiration from processes that have been occurring in the natural world for billions of years and adapting them to suit the modern man’s needs. However “there is still much to learn and our own attempts at mimicking these processes are fumbling, but we are now on the trail” (Forbes, 2006).

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Chapter 2 -Rise of the Natural World 2.1 Sustainable energy in nature The current standard of living along with the current development of sustainable energy technologies are continuously damaging the environment. If we are to be accepted by the planet it is critical to reduce emissions from energy production and become closer to nature; this is not impossible as before the human race inhabited the earth, life on earth thrived by producing its own utopia of sustainable energy from the sun for millions of years.

It was not until mankind started to intervene developing unsustainable energy technology that the future existence of life on the planet started mortgaging, as Peter Forbes states “all our activities seem to involve forcing nature to do things she would otherwise not have done”. (Forbes, 2006) It is important to explore how nature organically produces clean energy as Janine Benyus explains “the more our world looks at and functions like this natural world, the more likely we are to be accepted on this home that is ours” (Benyus, 2002).

Ken Yeang an ecologist architect from Malaysia quoted that “in nature the only source of energy is from the sun. So in ecological systems everything comes from the sun”, this can be supported by looking at other energy sources that occur on the planet such as wind energy. This occurs when heat from the sun warms part of the atmosphere differently to another causing the air to expand creating low pressure, additionally this warm air shifts from high to low pressure areas creating wind. Moreover, wind energy is converted into kinetic energy by large masses of water, in which the wind blows over the surface creating friction causing the water to swell and form waves. All these processes which occur

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naturally on earth can be traced back to the suns initial raw energy making it the most reliable and powerful energy source known in nature.

Living organisms which have inhabited the earth for many years before us have already learnt to adapt to these energy sources producing unique ways in order to thrive on this planet sustainably before us, utilising not only the primary source of energy (the sun) but also utilising the secondary and tertiary energy sources which are produced from the sun. “Nature runs on sunlight. Nature uses only the energy it needs. Nature fits form to function. Nature recycles everything.� (Benyus, 2002) It do this by using these energy sources for food, warmth, reproduction and transportation however it is not until we look at how they have adapted in order to utilise these energy sources that they start providing us with design solutions for the solar panel.

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2.2 How has the solar panel design mimicked aspects of nature?

Although there are many examples of biomimicry within the development of the solar panel we still have not come close to matching the processes which occur in nature, but we are on the right track:

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Plants- photosynthesis

(Figure 6) Plant photosynthesising - utilising sunlight in order to produce chemical energy. (Riley, 2015)

Photosynthesis occurs all over the world where there is the presence of light energy. This is a constant process used by algae, plants, and certain bacteria in order to harness energy from sunlight and convert it into chemical energy (Figure 6). Benyus explains that “considering the fact that photosynthesis produces 300 billion tons of sugar a year, it is undoubtedly the world’s most massive chemical operation”. (Benyus, 2002) This principle forms the basic template for what we are trying to achieve through the use of photovoltaic solar cells transforming the suns radiation into useable energy sources (electricity).

However, currently we can only perform at 10% efficiency compared to that of plants which can perform at 34% through photosynthesis. Therefore we cannot yet compete with this operation and “the secret of photosynthesis remains guarded”. (Benyus, 2002) 17 | P a g e

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Cold-blooded animals: Basking

(Figure 7) Snake laying out its body in order to absorb as much sunlight as possible. (Steel, 2015)

Basking is the process used by cold-blooded animals in order to absorb as much of the suns warmth as possible by spreading out their bodies over surfaces that are perpendicular to the sun (Figure 7). In many cases snakes will also flatten their rib cage in order to maximise their body width to absorb as much heat radiation as possible. This can be seen in the solar panel through the development from static photovoltaic solar units to ones that pivot on a static axis to remain parallel to the location of the sun. This allows the panels to expose the maximum surface area to be exposed to the sun’s rays for as long as possible resulting in a possible 40 percent efficiency boost over fixed solar panels.

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

Sunflowers: Structure of the florets

(Figure 8) The floret structure on a sunflower being used in the layout of the 20 MW Planta Solar (PS20) project, the world’s largest commercial solar tower-based CSP installation located in Andalusia (Spain), showing the heliostats and the solar tower. (Solar, 2012)

The sunflower is an inflorescence thus the flower head is constructed of numerous smaller florets. These florets are arranged exactly 137.5 degrees apart in a spiral formation known as the Golden Angle. (Ponnampalam, 2012) So named because this proportionality allows each floret to be exposed to the same amount of sun light energy allowing for greater efficiency as well as being compact, space saving and aesthetically pleasing. This has influenced improvements with thermodynamic solar energy production concerning the arrangement of the heliostats.

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“This nature-based inspiration has resulted in a greater yield of energy and a reduction in the amount of land used, and all by adopting the spiral formation found in the face of a sunflower.� (Ponnampalam, 2012)

These aspects of nature and many more have allowed us to further our understanding of clean energy production and assisted in the development of new and existing solar panel technology. However we have not yet managed to fully utilise these aspects and so if we are to further our development of solar energy we must look deeper at additional aspects of nature.

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2.3 Nature: The template for further solar panel development There has been lots of advancements in sustainable energy through solar in the past ten years by mimicking aspects of nature, however there are still many other untapped qualities in nature that are yet to be looked into which have the potential to provide us with solutions to the energy crisis.

(Figure 9) Stance of a butterfly before it takes off (Stance of a butterfly, 2005)

One solution to maximising efficiency in existing panel technology may be found in the structure of the heliostats. By adjusting the position of the solar panel and combining the structure gained from looking at the sun flower florets with another aspect of nature.

This further improvement could be obtained by looking at the common Cabbage White butterfly: Engineers from the University of Exeter have discovered that mimicking the stance of a butterfly getting ready to take off can boost the efficiency of solar panels by almost 50 percent (Shanks et al., 2015). These butterflies angle their wings before taking flight to reflect as much heat energy as possible towards their body in order to warm their muscles before take-off (Figure 9). Using this as an example for solar energy generation, the body

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could be the collector of energy and the wings could replicate the panels in order to focus the energy towards where it is collected. This technique allows as much surface area to be covered as possible by one unit while still remaining compact. Subsequently, combining this technique with the one of the sunflower florets would theoretically allow each panel to access the same amount of energy from the sun while also boosting the efficiency of solar panels by almost 50 percent and so creating a more efficient unit.

The butterflies’ wings however do not only have the potential to assist us with the development of the structure of the solar panel but also with the storage and material choices. As Dr Dino R. Ponnampalam explains in his article Biomimicry: Inspiring Solar Energy Technology Developments through Nature, “by understanding the principles of heat collection within the butterfly wings, researchers hope to apply this knowledge to thin-film solar cells and to the production of hydrogen (a clean-burning fuel) for use as an energy storage device�. (Ponnampalam, 2012)This would help stop the fluctuations in the supply and demand through solar as the hydrogen can be easily stored in times of low energy usage and used up when the demand for more energy is needed.

(Figure 10) Termite mound, one of the most advanced structures in heat regulation (W, 2012)

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Another possibility of a breakthrough in the fluctuation of solar power could be mimicked from termites. Termites make passive use of heat from the sun in the structure of their mounds, “to live with the fact that temperatures can fall to 5°C at night but can reach tropical values during the day. This species builds itself a nest that is optimally adapted to this climate�. (Cerutti, 2012) They build their mounds so that the base of the structure is thick and dense with the longitudinal axis aligned facing exactly north-south, the mound then narrows as it raises up ending in a narrow ridge (Figure 10). When the sun rises, the wider side of the mound is exposed to the rays heating the mound in preparation for the cold nights. However during the hot midday period the sun is located over the narrow side of the mound which protects it from excessive heat as there is not as much surface area (BBC, 2016). If this principle was to be applied into PV solar technology it could be used in order to control the production rates producing more or less energy depending on the demand for electricity reducing the need for storage (Figure 11).

(Figure 11) First thoughts on what solar panels would look like mimicking the termite hill (Burnside, 2017)

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These are only a few examples of how aspects of nature could influence the development of the solar panel, however there are many more to take into consideration such as snakes changing the pigment in their skin to darker in order to absorb more of the sun’s light or the cactus being an efficient energy regulator. However, the solution to clean energy through solar does not just lie within the units themselves but also how we use the energy.

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Chapter 3-What we aim to achieve 3.1 Ants: The perfect role-model for clean energy production through solar Currently it is estimated that there are 1x10⠚ billion ants that inhabit the earth’s surface.

This shadows the population of humans as currently there are only just over 7 billion.

However it is not until we look at this on a smaller scale that we find a possible solution to clean efficient energy production. If we look closely at biomasses (the calculation of multiplying an estimated population by its members' average weight) we can see that ants are the most successful being on the planet. With a biomass that is over nine times greater than humans they have managed to run one of the most successful clean energy production pro jects that is efficient enough for them all to thrive. (Groombridge and Jenkins, 2002)

(Figure 12)Grassland of Argentina Grass cutter ants harvesting grass to use as an energy source (BBC, 2016)

One of the most remarkable species is the grass cutter ant (Figure 12), they can be found anywhere on the planet where grass grows, yet their labours go more or less unnoticed. These ants can live within colonies which can exceed 10 million workers, this could easily resemble one of our larger cities; however they produce no waste, pollutants or emissions in their industrial operation and therefore are the perfect templates for energy production on an industrial scale.

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How does this operation present the solution for clean energy through solar? To address this it is important to look at how their energy is obtained and compare it to the operation we are trying to achieve ourselves. Firstly their solar operation starts with the harvesting of grass which acts as a catalyst for solar energy, the grass they target is too tough for other large animal to stomach and this eliminates any competition. However they cannot sustainably digest the grass either and therefore cannot directly utilise this source of energy as “our understanding of the process of breaking down that plant material to produce digestible nutrients for the ants is very limited” (Walton and O'Brien, 2010). This is relatable to the current problems we are facing as we do not have many uses for the direct solar energy and therefore we have to convert it into energy we can use more efficiently.

So why do they bother? The answer to this lies underground and it is very ingenious.

One colony alone will collect over half a ton of grass each year; they cut each blade of grass to length and store it into an underground garden of fungus. The rotting grass feeds fungus and in turn the fungus feeds the ants, however feeding 5 million workers requires intensive agriculture. This addresses the storage and conversion of energy into a product that can be used. We ourselves have tried to match this through converting the sun’s energy into electrical energy and storing it in batteries. Nevertheless, we currently cannot store this energy to the efficiency that we need and this prevents us from becoming a purely solar energy society. Maybe electrical storage is not the answer and we should look into storing this energy in different ways.

“With billions of ant colonies across the earth all doing the same thing that is a mind boggling amount of energy they harvest. It is estimated that over one third of the grass on earth will be harvested by an insect but they do all this without mortgaging the sustainability of the planet. Therefore if ants can achieve this why not us?” (BBC, 2016)

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3.2 Barriers of change With the idea behind the utilisation of power from the sun dating back thousands of years and the template of how to harness this energy sustainably being provided through nature it is necessary to address why it has taken us so long to adapt to this way of energy production? Although solar systems have become a lot more provident in energy production in the last ten years, the diffusion of solar systems still remains low when comparing them to other conventional methods of energy production. When looking at the barriers which have slowed the development of sustainable energy through solar we have to consider several different factors. 

Nature: Nature may hold all the answers we need in order to produce clean energy through solar. “We wanted our device to work like this even though we knew it would not look at all like this.” (Benyus, 2002) In order to imitate nature’s processes we have to first understand how it functions, although understanding these complex solutions takes time and money and therefore hinders our advancements in the development of sustainable energy through solar.



Technology: Without the technology to observe nature’s solutions we cannot expect to fully understand the solutions which nature provides and therefore we cannot utilise them. This means that we have to develop this technology and this proves to be difficult. Furthermore after we uncover the solutions to how nature successfully sustains energy, we need to develop our own interpretations of these processes which also takes a lot of time and money.

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

Economic: Although several studies argue that solar is already mature enough to compete with conventional energy sources, the high initial cost of the development of solar modules and the high installation, maintenance and repair costs all cause uncertainties in this sustainable energy technology. As a result, funding issues arise as governments and banks are unwilling to fund these medium to long-term projects in the shift to a solar economy. Currently, compared to the low costs of other unsustainable energy sources the prices do not compete. However, as these fossil fuels run lower these technologies will play a bigger part in economies. (Science for Environment Policy, 2016)

Although these barriers have hindered a quick process of developing a solar economy, they have not completely stopped it and with new technological advancements every day the rate of development for solar can only progress in the future.

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3.3 Future for the solar panel?

From the research and evidence within this dissertation it is possible to predict a possible future for the utilisation of solar power. The future of a sustainable solar economy is not as far from reaching as expected, in fact “with further technological breakthroughs expected in the next few years, the future is rosy for the solar industry”. (Ponnampalam, 2012) On a global scale there will continue to be a large demand for the more basic type of thermodynamic solar energy production methods for housing and hot water. This type of solar energy production will answer our instant need for solar energy advancements, but will not be the answer to a purely solar economy. The answer for a solar economy will lie within photovoltaic solar energy however, “instead of patiently waiting for this next wave of advancements, academics have devised ways to further tweak solar energy technology and these tweaks are based on observations in nature” (Ponnampalam, 2012) These tweaks will be made to thermodynamic solar energy production through studying influences from the butterflies wings and cold blooded animals.

The development of photovoltaic solar energy production will be furthered by taking influence from photosynthesis and unlocking the secret to how it harvests sustainable energy. This in turn will lower the prices of such a huge, barely tapped resource which has a low environmental and health impact which causes this process of energy production to become more apparent in the global market. This not only makes it more widely available and accessible to the public but has the potential of being integrated into high energy vehicles, buildings and energy grids making a substantial contribution to future electricity demand. Scientists such as Ciel et Terre are already working on projects using photovoltaic solar cells in roads and floating the cells on water in order to try maximise the production 29 | P a g e

through solar. Further experimental technology is also being researched by “Resurrecting a technology that was first tested over forty years ago in which space-based satellites capture sunlight and convert it into microwave energy that is then beamed back to earth.”(Figure 12) (Details Technology News, 2015)

(Figure 13) Concept of harvesting solar energy from space (Barnatt, 2014)

The success of photovoltaic and the impact it has on the economy will in turn extinguish the need for the uses of unsustainable energy sources. Furthermore, the more basic models of solar generation such as thermodynamic will take a less important role in the economy therefore, in “the longer term, it is likely that its cost will continue to decrease and its advantages of low cost thermal storage will enable it to play an important complementary role to PV” (Diesendorf, 2014).

Subsequently, the answer to an efficient storage of solar energy will also be answered with the development of new methods of storing the energy harvested from the sun such as biofuels and more sustainable battery cells. This will address the current problems in the storage of the energy and consequently could prevent the fluctuations in the supply and demand by utilising the approach to this problem from termite hills and ants.

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Conclusion Thomas Edison successfully summarized this problem and solution in 1931, in a conversation with automobile manufacturer Henry Ford and tyre manufacturer Harvey Firestone he quoted: "We are like tenant farmers chopping down the fence around our house for fuel when we should be using Nature's inexhaustible sources- of energy-sun, wind and tide. I’d put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we do not have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that." (Newton, 1987)

However this has not been acknowledged soon enough and only with the pending threat of fossil fuels running out have we begun to look more in depth at solar energy.

In a bid to utilise solar energy, taking influence from nature has been recognised as the way forward and this has been taken on by many different people. Tapas Mallick lead on solar energy activities within the ESI states that “Biomimicry in engineering is not new.

However, this truly multidisciplinary research shows a pathway to develop low cost solar power that has not been done before.� This being said no aspect of nature should be overlooked as even the smallest of animals could offer potential solutions to energy problems. Richard French-Constant Professor of Molecular Natural History quotes that this proves that the lowly Cabbage White Butterfly is not just a pest of your cabbages but actually an insect that is an expert at harvesting solar energy. These developments have forced us to come to recognise the potential for solar energy through nature and therefore we are adapting to its influences.

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With this acceptant that nature may hold the answers we still have a long way to go in order to obtain a purely solar economy as we do not yet have the technology to utilise this way of thinking. However with more support coming from the public and governments and new advancements being made within the storage, production and utilisation of energy through PV solar energy the future of a purely solar economy may not be that far away.

Areas of Further Study Reflection Although there are many aspects of solar energy production which have been covered in this dissertation, there are several areas which have sparked an interest that are not cover in as much depth in this piece of writing. However, if this piece of writing was to be furthered it would go into: 

Marine Biology: Uses for light - How do marine animals utilise light and how this could be used within solar energy production?



Bio Fuels - The chemical way to store lights energy, could this be the answer for energy storage problems?



Solar in Space – Is there a future prospects of utilising solar energy from space for the earth consumption?

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