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<font style="font-size: 10pt;" face="Tahoma " size="2"><a href="http://www.amnh.org/nationalcenter/youngnaturalistawards/2011/aidan.html">http://www.amnh.org/nationalcenter/youngnaturalistawards/2011/aidan.html</a><br><br>He was looking for a mathematical pattern in the spiral array of branches, and wondered<br>if this layout was to optimize catching light. He then used solar panels to build a model<br>tree, and raced its performance against a comparable conventional fixed solar panel. The <br>tree layout produced 20% more electricity and collected sun for 2-1/2 hours longer. In<br>December, the tree produced 50% more electricity and functioned 50% more hours.<br><br>I've sure as hell spent enough hours, weeks, and months looking at trees in the sunlight.<br>Now why didn't I think of that? I'm intrigued by the ease with which a column-based solar <br>"tree" could track the sun by simple rotation. Branches could rotate too for fine adjustment.<br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br><br></font> </div></body>
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