Fancy pink tape was used to hold pieces together. Later switched to clear scotch tape. Pink is way too distracting.

For the first test panels I was able to string six cells together in series. Of the six, three of them are full-sized. The rest have been cut to some degree. To shape them I used a Dremmel with a cutting disc and first scored the cut that I wanted to make. Usually, the cell would just break along the score on its own but on occasion I would have to snap it. After that I took the ragged edge to the grinder to smooth things out. I did not end up with the cleanest edges in the world but it got the job done. So now that I had this irregularly shaped panel with odd shaped cells I needed to test it out to see if it would even work.

The pieces of green wire are only in there to get even spacing between each cell. They'll be taken out later.

Turns out it worked pretty well. In the first test, shown above, I managed to get voltages ranging from 10 to 18 with a hand-held lamp. I was honestly expecting much less but this first test is encouraging. I can’t wait to get this outside in the full sunlight without any tape holding it together. One thing that will be of concern is the fact that this sculpture will be tested in the sun. My concern comes from the fact that the sculpture was only a mockup for testing purposes. And how do you put masonite together quickly without any screws or fasteners? Hot glue. And lots of it. And what melts the glue in the first place? Heat. This sculpture is completely black and will be placed directly in the sun for further testing. I only hope that the whole thing does not melt under the sun.

This looks crude right now but once I figure out how to stand the sculpture on a pedestal I plan on securely attaching the panels to it. I don't think I'll be covering every face of the sculpture with a panel. 1) I don't have that many cells and 2) I think it would be overkill.

]]> http://itp.nyu.edu/~mc3496/wordpress/2011/03/16/thesis-solar-cell-shaping-part-ii/feed/ 0 http://itp.nyu.edu/~mc3496/wordpress/2011/03/12/thesis-solar-cell-shaping/ http://itp.nyu.edu/~mc3496/wordpress/2011/03/12/thesis-solar-cell-shaping/#comments Sat, 12 Mar 2011 18:12:26 +0000 Macaulay Campbell http://itp.nyu.edu/~mc3496/wordpress/?p=1072 Um, not so easy.

I bought these Polycrystalline solar cells the other day and was positive I could figure out a way to cut them. My thinking was that I would be able to use one of several ways to do it:

1. Use an exacto blade to make repeated marks on the cell until broke. Result: FAIL

2. Securely clamp solar cell along the cut line and “snap” unwanted piece off. Result: FAIL

3. Use a dremmel on its lowest setting to slowly cut through the solar cell. Result: SUPER FAIL

This was a very frustrating process. I even made a few stabs at cutting them with the laser cutter. No even a laser cutter can touch these things! The solar cells are so brittle. On two different occasions, a fellow classmate stopped by to see what I was doing and while they were handling the cells they broke (the cells, not the people). These cells are super thin and have just about no flexibility. It’s really quite amazing.

This just about killed my idea for cutting solar cells for my sculpture but while I was cursing the solar gods one of those two solar-cell-breaking-classmates brought up some solar cells we had used in our Sustainable Energy class a few semesters back and suggested I use those. These cells are smaller and made of glass-encased thin film cells. I remembered them being not very powerful but it seems I was mistaken. At full sunlight they have been rated at almost 5 volts, over-performing their listed voltage (somewhere around 2.9 volts).

So it’s back to the floor where you find me quietly cutting solar cells or cursing aloud again, damning the solar gods.

Wish me luck.

Research
At the moment, my research has mostly involved materials and electrical components. For example, I have had to decide on the functionality of my sculpture and research technical solutions to making that happen. Good thing is, there is a lot of documentation on the web for DIY solar projects. For my other part of my thesis, I have found myself looking up sustainable materials as well as non-recyclable materials to help focus my idea.

Design
My goal is to have the design aspects of my thesis locked down in the next few weeks. I am sure there will be slight tweaking along the way but I hope not to spend more than 8 weeks on core designs.

Prototyping
Already begun! I already have most of the materials that I need to continue this part of the process. For the sculpture, I have constructed the structure and shape that will be covered in solar cells. There is a chance that I may be able to land some solar cells that are different from the ones I already have on hand so I may hold off on that part of the process. For my “eco-bricks,” I have the resin I need to make the casts but I have yet to make the molds. Baby steps. Additionally, I still need to gather the non-recyclable materials to mix in with the resin.

Testing
Oh, some day I’ll get there. I need to build it first! One thing that I have been able to do is some preliminary tests of the solar cells that I do have. One other thing that I will have to test are the circuits that need to be made for the sculpture.

Papers
Sigh … my biggest hangup. This will be an ongoing process. I figure this begun after the first day of thesis class and I am sure will continue on to the end (probably last minute).

Presentation
I am not so concerned with this. After spring break I should be far enough along on prototyping and some preliminary testing to really get a good sense of how to present my thesis. Once I have some of the physical objects iin hand it will just be a lot easier for me to articulate the work. For example, it’s hard for me to talk about a sculpture that generates electricity when I don’t know how much it can produce. With some sense of the sculptures capabilities, I will be more able to talk about the different ways in which the energy can be used. Not sure if I am powering a light bulb or a laptop!

Turns out sugar powdered donuts have one major ingredient that you can use to make a solar cell. Titanium dioxide (Ti02).

Also turns out that titanium dioxide is found in many other products including paints and confectioners sugar. What is it about titanium dioxide that would prompt someone to put it in their product? Whiter whites. And what is it that makes titanium dioxide and ideal chemical for making solar cells? Turns out that the stuff is a high-band gap semiconductor.

In 1991, Michael Grätzel and Brian O’Regan created a dye-sensitized photovoltaic cell (Grätzel cell) that use Ti02 as an alternative to more traditional silicon cells. The result was less costly but less efficient cell. The cell uses pretty straight-forward material that works well in low light conditions and has a high price/performance ratio.

For my midterm project I plan to create my own solar cells using titanium dioxide. As fun and tasty as it might be I don’t plan on extracting the Ti02 from a dozen donuts. Instead I will be purchasing some of the chemical from … I have no idea where! Not the easiest stuff to find.

My end goal is to experiment with multi-dimensional solar cells that could be potentially used for one of my sculptures. I also plan on experimenting with different pigments to see which is more successful at absorbing more of the light spectrum and increase efficiency. I am not sure what the two scientists used for their organic dye but there have been other independent experiments that have used rasberries and different teas.

A philosophy that I found useful to help me gain insight and give me direction is as follows:
Sustainable design is a design philosophy that seeks to maximize the quality of the built environment, while minimizing or eliminating negative impact to the natural environment.
~McLennan, J. F. (2004), The Philosophy of Sustainable Design

Even with a clear definition of sustainable design I have still found it a challenge to be true to my own creative visions all the while being mindful of a larger philosophy that I aim to live by. There are so many considerations when trying to create in a sustainable way. Materials themselves can have a profound impact on the sustainability of a design. Many of the manufacturing processes and construction materials are tragically bad for the environment and including them in any design could negate any ambitions of being green. Use of green technologies can bolster the efficiency of a design or prove it to be not viable. What good is solar if you have no sun?

Many artists have found their own philosophies and standards that they live and produce by with varying success. And who is to judge how successful a work is? That in it and of itself is a hard question to tackle.

In my research I have found that my interests is sustainable design fall more in line with the ideas and concepts of architects. It seems to me that when architects design with sustainability in mind they have a more holistic approach. For example, a sculpture often reaches it’s full utility once it is installed. In other words, when it is in its place it’s work is done. Not to say that a work of art does not serve an aesthetic function. But when an architect works through a design there are many variables to consider because it has so many roles to play with its inhabitants and its surroundings. That said, when I am working on a sustainable sculpture/design, I want to take many of these same variables into consideration. Specifically, utility, materials, and aesthetic integration.

GreenPix Zero Energy Media Wall, Beijing

GreenPix Zero Energy Media Wall, Beijing

Built near near the site of the 2008 Olympic Games, this curtain media wall used sustainable and digital media technologies to create one of the worlds largest color LED displays. Using photovoltaic cells that are embedded into the glass panels, the wall is a self-sufficient system that harvests solar energy during the day and uses it at night for video installations and performances.  What I appreciate about this project is the full integration of utility (building facade), materials (photovoltaics), and aesthetic integration (LED display).

GreenPix Zero Energy Media Wall, Beijing. Workers installing glass panels with solar cells.

From press release: The full integration of media/information technology with architecture in an urban context represents a new kind of communication surface devoted to unprecedented forms of art, while projecting information about the behavior and activity of the building to a wide range of distances and engaging a vast audience within the city of Beijing. The  innovative use of technology and experimental approach to communication and social interaction  defines new standards in  the context of urban interventions worldwide, raising global interest in the integration of digital technology with architecture and reinforcing the reputation of Beijing as a centre for innovation and urban renewal.

Santiago Calatrava

World renowned architect and civil engineer, Santiago Calatrava is also a prolific sculptor and painter who claims that the practice of architecture combines all the arts into one. I could not agree with this man more! On March 2006, The Metropolitain Museum of Art in New York City  hosted an exhibition of Calatrava’s sculptures, architectural models, paintings, and drawings.

Calatrava sculpture

From the MET: Philippe de Montebello, director of the Metropolitan Museum, stated: “It is a rare delight to present the work of such an accomplished architect and artist. This exhibition takes an intimate look at Santiago Calatrava’s inventive practices, and uncovers the connections between the private artist and the public architect as he meditates over forms, themes, and construction.”

Recently, Calatrava made his push into the world of sustainability with the unveiling of his latest work: the “Museum of Tomorrow” planned for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The sustainability focused museum is part of the city’s preparation for the 2016 Olympic games and is part of a larger urban revitalization project launched by the city. I only recently learned of Calatrava’s sustainability driven projects but would not be surprised to learn that he had been working with sustainability in mind for some time. I am incredibly interested in how he will apply sustainability to his sculptures in the future.

Santiago Calatrava "Museum of Tomorrow". Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Work plan to come …

Works cited:
McLennan, Jason F. The Philosophy of Sustainabile Design. Kansas City, Missouri: Ecotone, 2004.

“Santiago Calatrava: Sculpture into Architecture”. Metropolitain Museum of Art.com. Oct. 18, 2005 <http://www.metmuseum.org/special/se_event.asp?OccurrenceId={4793218B-1806-4EA5-AA76-1998B13CF2D1}>

Chino, Mike. “Santiago Calatrava Unveils Green “Museum of Tomorrow for Rio”. Inhabitat.com. June 22, 2010. <http://inhabitat.com/santiago-calatrava-unveils-green-museum-of-tomorrow-in-rio/>

GreenPix is a groundbreaking project applying sustainable and digital media technology to the curtain wall of Xicui entertainment complex in Beijing, near the site of the 2008 Olympic Games. Featuring the largest color LED display worldwide and the first photovoltaic system integrated into a glass curtain wall in China, the building performs as a self-sufficient organic system, harvesting solar energy by day and using it to illuminate the screen after dark, mirroring a day’s climatic cycle.

Selected works

Natural History of the Enigma
Excerpts from Kac’s website

Eduardo Kac, Natural History of the Enigma, transgenic flower with artist's own DNA expressed in the red veins, 2003/2008. Collection Weisman Art Museum. Photo: Joy Lengyel.

GFP Bunny
Excerpts from Kac’s website

Alba, the fluorescent bunny.

My transgenic artwork “GFP Bunny” comprises the creation of a green fluorescent rabbit, the public dialogue generated by the project, and the social integration of the rabbit. GFP stands for green fluorescent protein. “GFP Bunny” was realized in 2000 and first presented publicly in Avignon, France. Transgenic art, I proposed elsewhere [1], is a new art form based on the use of genetic engineering to transfer natural or synthetic genes to an organism, to create unique living beings. This must be done with great care, with acknowledgment of the complex issues thus raised and, above all, with a commitment to respect, nurture, and love the life thus created.

Portrait of the Qianlong Emperor (1711–1799)

As with any exhibition, the information posted at the entry way aims to set you up for what you are going to see. (Wonder if there is another, more interesting way of doing this?) I have visited this area in the museum before, but to be honest, I was never really aware of what I was walking through! I would often time just cruise through the entryway and poke around and head straight for the Astor Court garden at the center of the exhibit. That has to be one of my favorite places in the museum. I love the rock formations and natural lighting as well as the recreated sitting room (think that was what it was called).

Back to the exhibit … the pace and flow of the exhibit was pretty straight forward and easy to navigate. The screen with the short movie projected on it at the end of the space was a little distracting as I made my way though. When you are in a room of static objects and images, something bright and moving will always grab your attention.

Considering this was a display of the Qianlong Retirement Garden I found the exhibit to be less than airy and a lost opportunity to reflect some of the serenity that the real palace has. For example, I found displays like the central glass display case to be rather heavy and abrupt while many structures throughout the real complex felt light and integrated. The lighting was also a little low but I assume that had something to do with preserving some of the sensitive objects on display. Upstairs, where Chinese art from the 18th and 19th centuries was displayed, I found  the space to be less cluttered and airy. The lighting was also much better.

On a side note, I love the color combinations used on many of the artifacts in the Chinese art area. Wooden books with green pigment used for the writing; the multiple combinations of red, black and white used in ink rubbings; model calligraphers incorporating yellow, black and red … the graphic designer in me can’t help commend these earlier artisans who were very ambitious and adventurous in their color choices.

An aficionado of rocks

I was really drawn to the rock formations on display in and around the exhibit. I found the emperors interest and overall  Chinese connoisseurship of rocks fascinating. It is putting nature on display. And to compare rock collecting to calligraphy and painting really made me want to explore subject more. There were a few other rocks on display but, unfortunately, there was not much more information on them.

Some anecdotal observations:

-The blown up images at the entrance to the exhibit are incredibly pixelated.
-The models and satellite image we very helpful to give some sense of scale and show the layout of the Emperor’s private paradise.
-What’s with the accordian blinds in many of the exhibit displays? Were these put in on purpose to accomodate objects to be placed higher up in the display in the future?