Recycling Waste Plastic into Solar Microconcentrators to Exceed the Thermodynamic Limits of Photovoltaics Generation for Net-zero Emissions in Agriculture

In Nova Scotia, one of the significant challenges in year-long food productivity is shrinking arable land, and rather than focusing on sustainability for continued food security, agricultural processes have relied on massive fossil fuels consumption to produce the food needed by a growing diverse urban population. Direct energy inputs include fuel to power tractors and field machinery, irrigation pumps, heat to warm animal shelters and greenhouses. Current solar modules have been proposed as a solution: they are either mechanically rigid, and costly to install and maintain, or they are flexible and highly inefficient (<<15%) because of the added degree of restrictive material selection that comes with mechanical pliability.

We are proposing to design, and construct highly efficient flexible solar modules by employing woven recycled rolls from a local supplier and turning their inherent patterning into microconcentrators.

Concentrators and microconcentrators, while leading to record breaking efficiencies, are usually done with intricate costly processing techniques using sensitive optics and are impossible to replicate at large scale. The use of flexible woven monofilament fabrics recycled from Andritz fabrics and rolls surplus along with printable materials opens the possibility for exceeding current efficiencies of flexible panels while providing needed power to significantly reduce reliance on fossil fuels in agriculture. Those unique fabrics can wrap onto a complete structure such as a greenhouse or be cut down, and designed modularly to fit onto any surface such that of a tractor.

The work would be undertaken by two master students under the direct supervision of Dr. Ghada Koleilat, P.Eng. The reliability, sturdiness, and mechanical pliability of the prototype will be optimized for longevity and its efficiency will be tested inside the greenhouses of NS farmers. Moving towards zero emissions farming equipment, machinery and installations would position Nova Scotia as a leader in sustainable agricultural practices.