Two concepts are taking root that could help create greater solar energy for less space. Researchers in Cambridge have developed floating ‘artificial leaves’ that generate clean fuels from sunlight and water and could eventually operate on a large scale at sea, whilst SolarBotanic have made a solar tree.

The researchers, from the University of Cambridge, designed ultra-thin, flexible, low-cost, autonomous devices that are light enough to float, and could be used to generate a sustainable alternative to petrol without taking up space on land and converting sunlight into fuels as efficiently as plant leaves.

If scaled up, the artificial leaves could be used on polluted waterways, in ports or at sea, and could help reduce the global shipping industry’s reliance on fossil fuels.

The artificial leaf, which makes syngas – a key intermediate in the production of many chemicals and pharmaceuticals – from sunlight, carbon dioxide and water.

Meanwhile, SolarBotanic Trees ‘solar tree’ – which looks a like a large umbrella – uses 3D leaf-shaped nano-technology to harness solar energy for charging and energy storage. It has been developed in collaboration with Co-Innovate, a business support programme which supports SMEs in London by using academic and innovation resources at Brunel University London, the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) in Coventry and the AMRC’s Design and Prototyping Group who will be conducting the prototype testing.

The first-generation SolarBotanic Tree will eventually spawn a family of products, primarily aimed at the rapid EV charging market for homes, businesses and commercial car parks, where solar power can be captured and stored for charging points. It will also encompass a sophisticated AI-driven energy storage and power management system (PMS), where trees can be linked and form part of a local grid, or feed into the main grid.

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