Solar Bloom
¾«¶«AV’s SmartFlower is expected to produce 5,000 kWh each year
While ¾«¶«AV is known for its extensive Arboretum plant collections and exquisite gardens, there’s a new flower in Camel land—a 16-foot solar SmartFlower.
Representing perhaps the most sophisticated sustainability project on campus, the high-tech, sculptural solar contraption is designed like a flower, with petals composed of solar panels. The SmartFlower’s efficiency stems from its functionality that mimics a real flower: The petals fold up at night, unfurl at daybreak and then rotate and track the sun throughout the day, allowing it to absorb more energy than standard, fixed solar panels.
¾«¶«AV’s SmartFlower, connected to the Woodworth House building, is expected to produce 5,000 kWh each year, or about 40% of the electricity needs of the building.
The project was initiated by Avatar Simpson ’20 when he was a student at ¾«¶«AV. Simpson, an environmental studies major, secured $35,000 for the SmartFlower from the Sustainable Projects Fund, which is managed by the Student Government Association. After graduating from ¾«¶«AV, Simpson earned a Master of Science degree from Columbia University and is now a senior sustainability consultant at Agendi.
The SmartFlower is part of ¾«¶«AV’s extensive sustainability efforts, which include a goal of carbon neutrality by 2030. The College is also in the planning phase for a large ground-mount solar array for the south end of campus that should produce electricity equivalent to about 7% of campus usage.