Old project, New Post: Solar Field

Executing a refined, physical Power-Copy of project #2

Project #3

Forward: Parametric modeling suggest a mode of thinking beyond software, a methodology of defining explicit relationships, complex behaviors, and unforeseen responses. New computational tools and network thinking reveal emergent behaviors, which challenge traditional notions of hierarchy in part-to-whole relationships. Given new thinking and new tools, designers are able to define multiple relationships that can be varied and are able to mutate throughout the design process.

Objective:You are to make a heliotropic field that is responsive to the movement of the sun. Use this project to build on previous work and to refine your understanding of a heliotropic system. Is it possible that the shadow of one cell might affect its neighbor? Is it possible for cells work together to share the available sunlight? The power copy demonstration developed a simple form and framework that uses information from the solar chart. Working with your team, you are to develop a speculative design in Digital Project and a prototype array built with your Arduino materials.

This should be presented as:

• An animation using screen shots from Digital Project.
• An operational prototype of 3 working / related cells.

Obviously the digital representation can include a larger field of components and demonstrate their relationships while the Arduino mock-up will demonstrate the operation of a few cells.

I want to start off this post with a shout out to my group members for this week, you guys were AMAZING! By far the best group experience yet-

Ivan

Laura

Lindsey

Taylor

Zilin

Way to go team!

We worked as an efficient and cohesive unit to create what we felt would be a more innovative approach to utilizing the energy radiated from the sun from a component-based "field". Early on we brought up an alternative to what we called a traditional field or collector, in essence, systems of solar panels or mirrors already found in existance today. We found efficiency to be a key factor in terms of how to best use solar energy. Solar panels currently convert about 40% of the energy they receive via the sun to electricity, meanwhile utilizing solar energy for illumination required no conversion, and was inherently efficient. Thus we set ourselves to the task of designing a device that could:

• Collect light throughout the day. Unlike a traditional skylight, which will let in the most light when the sun is normal to its planar surface, this device should be heliotropic to transfer the most intense light throughout the entire day.
• Re-route the light: How could this device not only provide light to the top floor of a building, but how could it illuminate the basement? What of the possibility of routing external light to an internal solar condenser?
• Appeal: Visually, how does this device look less like a solar farm? Could it have an alternative use at night? Could it be geared towards an urban setting?
• Feedback mechanisms and advanced functions?

The result was a system that utilized two moving panels, in orthogonal directions, to move a mini-field of fiber optics anywhere in a nearly complete hemisphere. The basis of this action was developed from the motion of a CNC machine using two axis placed orthogonally to trace out circles. As the Project developed several group members were very inspired by the possibility of these fiber optic fields crudely mimicking the appearance of wind moving through a wheat field. Because of the desired motion and direction we had taken to implement it, we encountered numerous geometric difficulties. The summation of which lead to developing a flexible wire frame to direct the rods, as well as the only direct connection existing on the bottom plane.

Personally, I was extremely happy with our results. I think the satisfaction of having created the prototype was was doubly so because our group had such a shared process, that we were all equally invested, and the outcome represented conceptually as well as physically what we had set out to do . This "shared" image gave us, I think, a shared sense of accomplishment because our mental maps had become so similar though our process. The fact that we never had to sacrifice group dynamics to accomplish our goals was... a first in my experiences.