Exploring the energy capacity of a geodesic solar dome to see how efficient and effective it could be.
Design Manifesto
Background Research
Many countries, continents and nations rely on Non renewable energy sources, such as fossil fuels, greenhouse gases and more. All of this has been slowly killing our planet through global warming and air pollution. We have found a few “Solutions”, And some of them have been very effective. However, it’s a slow transition when it comes to switching to renewable energy entirely, and the world does not have forever, neither does most of the non-renewable energy resources. At the rate we are going at right now, we have approximately 51 years left of oil, 114 years left of coal and 53 years left of natural gas, and those numbers could decrease depending on how much demand there is.
One of the most popular and effective solutions to this problem is solar energy. But even that comes with problems. They are always at a fixed angle, so when the sun isn’t facing them, they can't absorb much power. They only work well when the sun is directly above them.
My system plans to solve this problem with geodesic solar. It is a dome made of triangles that absorbs sunlight equally and effectively through the entire day, from sunrise to sunset.
Aim and Hypothesis
Aim:
To Build a small model of the geodesic solar dome to see how efficient and effective it could be.
Hypothesis:
If we install the geodesic solar dome onto a roof of brown and jolly, it should be more effective and efficient with catching sunlight from multiple angles.
Method and Safety
-
Layer the whole thing with photovoltaic glass, this is resistant against rain, hail, and extreme conditions. It also helps with energy production.
-
Leave a hole for the air vents, allowing air to flow in and cool the system, build something to mount the air con as well.
-
Make a frame out of galvanised anti rust steel.
Forces and Energy
Energy Transformation: Light energy from the sun is transformed into electrical energy via solar dome.
Energy Transfer: Through a DC current, the electrical energy is transferred from the solar cells into a battery.
Problem Solving
The biggest engineering challenge identified in a system like this is making triangular panels.
This causes two major obstacles in building the system:
-
Extremely hard to find and source: There are almost no companies that can make triangular shaped solar panels that are reliable, so they must be custom built.
-
Extremely difficult and complex to make: There are two ways you can make it; arranging normal cells into a triangular shape and filling in the gaps, or you can be more precise and cut the solar cells with a diamond scribe, solder the cells together and make sure to not make micro-cracks in the silicon.
Engineering Modification
Sadly, these are both very expensive methods that are impossible to get around without spending more money. But with help and funding, it’s possible.
Conclusion
In conclusion, a geodesic solar dome is a very good idea and is very energy efficient, being able to capture sunlight for the entire day will significantly help half our non renewable energy usage! However it is most likely too complex and expensive to build, so it is highly unlikely that this will actually become a reality.