"Get information and do business" :Follow us  Sunflower Design
Brightens Solar Energy Prospects  Published at: Jan 13, 2012
source: DiscoveryNews  published by  New research into the most
efficient placement of solar arrays turns to nature for
inspiration.   Using sunflowers as their inspiration, MIT
researchers, led by assistant professor of mechanical
engineering Alexander Mitsos, came up with a biomimetic design
-- a design that mimics nature -- that better arranges the
mirrors.  In solar concentrator parlance, the devices that hold
the mirrors are called heliostats. Normally, the heliostats are
arranged in concentric circles -- bull's eye style -- around a
central tower. They reflect light from the sun toward the top of
the tower, where there is a solar receiver. The receiver uses
the intense heat to produce steam; the steam is used to turn a
turbine that drives a generator, producing electricity.  Now
look closely at the florets in the center of the sunflower photo
above and imagine a bunch of heliostats