Light-receiving characteristics of a distributed solar module with a plant shoot configuration

The object of this study is to develop a solar power generation system with high energy density. In order to improve the energy density of a solar power generation system, compaction of the system (improvement of light-receiving density) and a directive fall (dependency on the solar position is excluded) are required. So, in this study, because the issues described above are resolved, a solar cell module is divided and distributed. In this paper, the relation between the shoot shape of a “dogwood tree,” “ginkgo tree,” “Dendropanax trifidus,” and “Acer palmatum var. matsumurae” and the light-receiving amount is clarified by numerical analysis, and the optimal solution of each shoot shape and result of the light-receiving density were obtained. Furthermore, the characteristics of variables, such as leaf size, installation location, length of the branch of a leaf, and light-receiving amount of each shoot, were examined. As a result, in the distribution of the solar cell module with the shoot shape of each plant except dogwood, the light-receiving density showed clear improvement compared with the distribution of a square module. Compared with a square leaf, the maximum differences of each light-receiving density of D. trifidus, ginkgo, and A. palmatum var. matsumurae were 2.0 times, 7.4 times, and 6.4 times in January, respectively. On the other hand, they were 1.9 times, 8.7 times, and 7.3 times in July.