European researchers have created a 3D-printed tree with leaves that convert sun, wind and changes in temperature into energy that can be used to power small devices, like a smartphone, according to 3Dprinting.com.
The tree, developed at the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, features leaves made of 3D-printed solar cells. The tree’s trunk is printed using recycled wood byproducts created during mill production.
There are four leaves per tree, and 200 leaves create 3.2 amperes of electricity. Users can connect multiple trees together to create more “leaf coverage”—10.7 square feet of leaf coverage will create 10.4 watts in direct sunlight, according to 3DPrinting.com.
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