NSF Convergence Accelerator Track M: Bio-Inspired Surface Design for High Performance Mechanical Tracking Solar Collection Skins in Architecture

NSF Convergence Accelerator Track M：建筑中高性能机械跟踪太阳能收集表皮的仿生表面设计

• 批准号: 2344424
• 负责人: Jenny Sabin
• 金额: $ 65万
• 依托单位: Cornell University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2024
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2024-01-15 至 2024-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2344424&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: NSF; Convergence; Accelerator; Track; Bio

Buildings account for 40% of carbon emissions, contributing to one of our most burdensome societal challenges – architecture in the context of climate crisis. Generating solar power on buildings is a convergent problem in engineering and architecture. By integrating creative bio-inspiration with photovoltaic (PV) systems in the early phases of design, this project will inspire widespread integration of sustainability, technology, and design for national impact together with the researchers’ industry partner, E Ink. The team will incorporate a bio-inspired design research process that will address two primary convergent problems with building integrated photovoltaics (BIPVs): 1. Single axis sun tracking with planar silicon systems can generate as much as 10-40% more energy depending on geographic location, but there is more site preparation needed and more maintenance required than conventional systems. 2. Lack of large-scale public adoption of solar panels in the residential sector is primarily due to poor design quality and aesthetics. The researchers hypothesize that beauty and sustainable design are an essential part of nature, and it has been demonstrated that solar tracking produces a photosynthetic advantage in the plant suggesting that it will be similarly beneficial for photovoltaic systems. Learning from nature, the researchers will employ a radical transdisciplinary approach to sustainability through the hybridization of labs and design studios to fuse innovations in research and industry to generate solar collection skins that leverage both aesthetics and performance. The researchers’ methodology will create a significant opportunity to excite the public, thereby engaging their interest in STEM. The intellectual merit of the project will innovate the design and engineering of PV cells through advancements in design, kirigami geometry, 3D printing, and roll-to-roll manufacturing for bio-inspired filters and skin assemblies.Specifically, the researchers will develop three bio-inspired design methods based on fundamental operations of photosynthesis in plants – heliotropism (orientation), light scattering (filters), and cellular morphological responses (modulate shape) to varied radiant exposure. Next, the team will test, extend, and optimize the bio-inspired toolkit with kirigami geometry to develop a family of module shapes that can change and morph into any global surface design, but are tailored to track the changing path of the sun. Blending biological adaptations, including cellular morphogenesis in the Arabidopsis plant and heliotropic mechanisms in sunflowers with kirigami methods, the team will investigate non-conventional surface configurations of panels. The third aim focuses on the convergence of the bio-inspired surface design strategies with the silicon material response to light and energy at the photovoltaic cell and skin levels to design and engineer for specific functions. Through a unique partnership with E Ink, the project will develop highly customized, non-standard filters and PV panel surfaces to create site-specific, beautiful, mechanical tracking solar collection skins for architecture. By leveraging the resiliency and performance of nature’s tool kit and the team’s cross-sector expertise, the project deliverable will demonstrate the first adaptable solar collection system, demonstrating the potential of bio-inspired design for a new BIPV skin that showcases an integrated approach to light absorption for energy generation.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

建筑物占碳排放量的40%，这是我们面临的最沉重的社会挑战之一--气候危机背景下的建筑。建筑太阳能发电是工程和建筑中的一个融合问题。通过在设计的早期阶段将创造性的生物灵感与光伏（PV）系统相结合，该项目将与研究人员的行业合作伙伴E Ink一起激发可持续性，技术和设计的广泛整合，以产生国家影响。该团队将采用生物灵感设计研究过程，解决建筑集成光生物学（BIPV）的两个主要收敛问题：1。使用平面硅系统的单轴太阳跟踪系统可以根据地理位置多产生10-40%的能量，但与传统系统相比，需要更多的场地准备和更多的维护。2.在住宅领域缺乏大规模公共采用太阳能电池板的主要原因是设计质量和美观性差。研究人员假设美丽和可持续设计是自然的重要组成部分，并且已经证明太阳能跟踪在植物中产生光合作用优势，这表明它对光伏系统也同样有益。研究人员将从自然中学习，通过实验室和设计工作室的混合，采用激进的跨学科方法来实现可持续发展，以融合研究和行业的创新，从而产生兼顾美学和性能的太阳能收集皮肤。研究人员的方法将创造一个重要的机会来激发公众，从而吸引他们对STEM的兴趣。该项目的智力价值将通过设计，kirigami几何，3D打印和生物启发过滤器和皮肤组件的卷对卷制造的进步来创新光伏电池的设计和工程。具体来说，研究人员将开发三种基于植物光合作用基本操作的生物启发设计方法-向日性（取向）、光散射（滤光器）和细胞形态学对不同辐射暴露的反应（调节形状）。接下来，该团队将使用kirigami几何来测试，扩展和优化生物启发的工具包，以开发一系列模块形状，这些形状可以改变和变形为任何全球表面设计，但可以跟踪太阳的变化路径。混合生物适应，包括拟南芥植物中的细胞形态发生和向日葵中的向日机制与kirigami方法，该团队将研究面板的非传统表面配置。第三个目标侧重于生物启发的表面设计策略与硅材料在光伏电池和皮肤层面对光和能量的响应的融合，以设计和工程特定功能。通过与E Ink的独特合作，该项目将开发高度定制的非标准过滤器和光伏面板表面，为建筑创造特定场地的，美丽的，机械跟踪太阳能收集皮肤。通过利用自然工具包的弹性和性能以及团队的跨部门专业知识，该项目将展示第一个可适应的太阳能收集系统，展示了生物技术的潜力该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的学术价值和更广泛的影响审查标准。