Biomimicry in

the Clean

Energy WorldNature’s strategies used in

the clean energy world.

2011 New World Fest Presentation, Santa Monica, CA

Solar Thermal

Challenge : Hard Water Concentrations

Hard Water contains Calcium Carbonate (CaCO3)

Problem : Hard Water Clogs Pipes

Heat exchangers lose efficiency quite rapidly in hard water applications.

Today’s commercial antiscalants called palyacrylates are used to unclog

these pipes but are not biodegradable.

Solution : Oysters

Oyster shells are also made from calcium carbonate.

Larry Koskan, an organic chemist, made an amazing discovery about how oysters regulate

the growth of their shells using a biopolymer, called thermal polyaspartate (TPA), which is

nontoxic & biodegradable.

Water Turbines

Challenges : Barnacles

Goose Barnacles

Rock Barnacles

Problem : Anti Fouling Paints

Most antifouling paint contains elemental copper, cuprous oxide (a copper compound), or

tinoxide compounds (tributyl tinoxide) which kill organisms attempting to attach to a painted

surface.

Solution : Sharks

Shark skin is made up of microscopic hard scales which provides little effective

contact surface preventing barnacles from attaching themselves.

Artificial Shark Skin Based Products

One product contains a combination plastic/rubber coating that is made of billions of tiny

raised diamond-shaped patterns. Each “shark-let” diamond measures 15 microns and

contains seven raised ribs that at close examination resemble different lengths of raised

horizontal bars.

Roof Top Solar

Challenge : Different Sun Angles

Current Solutions

active passive

Solution 1 : Oak Tree

Leaves arranged in Fibonacci pattern also referred as Phyllotaxis capture optimal amount of energy over each day.

7th grader Aidan Dwyer, who as inspiration to

arrange an array of solar panels in a way that generates 20-50% more energy than a uniform, flat panel array

Solution 2 : Rice Leaf

Many plants are heliotropic, gradually

tilting towards the sun to optimize solar

energy capture.

MIT students Forrest Liau, Vyom Sharma, and

George Whitfield used the difference in temperature

between shaded and sunny areas to change the

properties of the material supporting the solar

photovoltaic cells. The solar panels are mounted

at the top of a curved arch made up of two kinds

of metal, such as aluminum and steel.

Wind Turbine Farms

Downstream wind turbines may lose 20 percent or even

30 percent of their power compared to their fellows in front,

according to a study on wake effects at Horns Rev

Solution : School of Fish

Arranging wind turbines like a school of fish could reduce the amount of land they take up by 100-fold while maintaining their electrical output, say researchers. Wind farms based on the approach might also be considerably safer for migrating birds.

Researchers found that arranging the VAWT arrays just

like schools of fish produced the best results. Such

tightly packed VAWT arrays can produce as much

electricity as conventional windmills, all while using

as little as one-hundredth of the land area.

Wind Turbines

Betz Law

No turbine can capture more than 59.3 %

of the kinetic energy in wind

Todays best wind turbines at best capture

about 30-35 %

Solution 1 : Winged Seeds

The twirling seeds of maple trees spin like miniature helicopters as they fall to the ground. Because the

seeds descend slowly as they swirl, they can be carried aloft by the wind and dispersed over great distances.

David Lentink, an assistant professor at Wageningen, and Michael H. Dickinson, the Zarem Professor of Bioengineering at Caltech, revealed that, by swirling, maple seeds generate a tornado-like vortex that sits atop the front leading edge of the seeds as they spin slowly to the ground. This leading-edge vortex lowers the air pressure over the upper surface of themaple seed, effectively sucking the wing upward to oppose

gravity, giving it a boost. The vortex doubles the lift generatedby the seeds compared to nonswirling seeds.

Video: http://mr.caltech.edu/assets/619-mapleseed.mp4

Solution 2 : Humpback Whale

The average humpback whale weighs about 36 tons, yet it is one of the most graceful swimmers, divers,

and jumpers in the sea. It was discovered that their Fins have leading edge bumps, called Tubercles, which reduce drag and increase lift.

WhalePower President, Dr. Frank E. Fish designed this turbine blade with bumps on the leading edge. Early wind tunnel tests of model flippers

with tubercles by the U.S. Naval Academy showed that wind drag was reversed by 32 % and lift was increased by 8 %.

Clean Energy Challenges

Energy Conversion Efficiencies

Energy Storage

Energy Conservation

Camel

One thing that a camel can do to

conserve water is to handle large

body-temperature swings. A camel

might start the day at 94 degrees F and

allow its temperature to rise as high as

105 degrees F. Only at the upper end

of this range does it need to sweat to

prevent overheating. When you

compare this temperature range to the

range the human body can handle

(where only a 2 degree rise indicates

illness), you can see the advantage.

Clean Energy Application:

Solar Panel performance degrades by -.5% / degree Celsius

Maintain maximum efficiency of solar panels by maintaining

coolest temperatures.

Saguaro cactus

A fully-grown Saguaro cactus

(Carnegiea gigantea) can absorb up to

800 gallons of water in ten days.

This is helped by the ability to form new roots

quickly. Two hours after rain following a

relatively long drought, root formation begins

in response to the moisture. Apart from a few

exceptions, an extensively ramified root

system is formed, which spreads out

immediately beneath the surface. The salt

concentration in the root cells is relatively

high, so that when moisture is encountered,

water can immediately be absorbed in the

greatest possible quantity.

Clean Energy Application:

Water collection strategy which can be used for cooling and

generating power.

Hibernating Bears

It can go for as long as 100 days without eating, drinking,urinating, defecating, or exercising. its sleeping heart rate had slowed to as few as eight beats a minute. Fat tissues break down and supply water and up to 4,000 calories a day; muscle and organ tissues break

down and supply protein. Bears' bodies are somehow able to take urea—a chief component of urine that is produced during tissue breakdown and that, if left to build up, becomes toxic—and use the nitrogen in it to build new protein.

Clean Energy Application:

Energy conservation strategies for homes & businesses.

Resources

Greenwavelength.com

Asknature.org

Biomimicry.net

Zomeworks.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phyllotaxis

http://www.amnh.org/nationalcenter/youngnaturalistawards/2011/aidan.html

http://database.portal.modwest.com/item.php?table=strategy&id=1089

http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-01/wind-turbines-leave-clouds-and-

energy-inefficiency-their-wake

http://mr.caltech.edu/assets/619-mapleseed.mp4

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/nature/bear-essentials-of-hibernation.html

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/satoyama/hibernation.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hibernation