{"id":11444,"date":"2019-02-23T10:34:17","date_gmt":"2019-02-23T09:34:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sonnenseite.com\/science\/the-hi-tech-flag-which-could-power-the-smart-cities-of-the-future.html"},"modified":"2019-02-23T10:34:17","modified_gmt":"2019-02-23T09:34:17","slug":"the-hi-tech-flag-which-could-power-the-smart-cities-of-the-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sonnenseite.com\/en\/science\/the-hi-tech-flag-which-could-power-the-smart-cities-of-the-future\/","title":{"rendered":"The Hi-Tech Flag Which Could Power the Smart Cities of the Future"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fluttering flags could be used to generate enough electricity to power the sensors of our future smart cities.<\/p>\n

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Researchers at the University of Manchester<\/a> have developed a hi-tech flag-like device that can simultaneously generate electricity from both wind and solar sources. The development, published last week in the journal Applied Energy<\/em><\/a>, was specifically designed with a “deploy-and-forget” philosophy – allowing the flags to go about their long-term work with little maintenance or monitoring required.<\/p>\n

The flags employ two materials currently sailing at the forefront of solar and green energy design: piezoelectric strips and flexible photovoltaic cells. The former allows for the generation of electricity via kinetic motion, while the latter provides a flexible and extremely thin alternative to traditional solar panels. Both of these materials are robust enough to function continuously with little need for replacement or repair.<\/p>\n

The team discovered that the repetitive side-to-side movement of flags – known as Limit-Cycle Oscillations<\/a> – makes them ideal for generating power from the deformation of piezoelectric strips. Meanwhile, the solar component allows the flags to continue to be useful, even in non-windy conditions. Dr Andrea Cioncolini, co-author of the study, explained:<\/p>\n