(July 31, 2015) The humble butterfly could hold the key to
unlocking new techniques to make solar energy cheaper and more efficient,
pioneering new research has shown.
A team of experts from the University of Exeter has examined
new techniques for generating photovoltaic (PV) energy – or ways in which to
convert light into power.
They showed that by mimicking the v-shaped posture adopted
by Cabbage White butterflies to heat up their flight muscles before take-off,
the amount of power produced by solar panels can increase by almost 50 per
cent.
Crucially, by replicating this ‘wing-like’ structure, the
power-to-weight ratio of the overall solar energy structure is increased
17-fold, making it vastly more efficient.
The research by the team from both the Environment and
Sustainability Institute (ESI) and the Centre for Ecology and Conservation,
based at the University of Exeter’s Penryn Campus in Cornwall, is published in
the leading scientific journal, Scientific Reports.
Professor Tapas Mallick, lead author of the research said:
“Biomimicry in engineering is not new. However, this truly multidisciplinary
research shows pathways to develop low cost solar power that have not been done
before.”
The Cabbage White butterflies are known to take flight
before other butterflies on cloudy days – which limit how quickly the insects
can use the energy from the sun to heat their flight muscles.
This ability is thought to be due to the v-shaped posturing,
known as reflectance basking, they adopt on such days to maximise the
concentration of solar energy onto their thorax, which allows for flight.
Furthermore, specific sub-structures of the butterflies’
wings allow the light from the sun to be reflected most efficiently, ensuring
that the flight muscles are warmed to an optimal temperature as quickly as
possible.