Wood: a new source of inspiration for photovoltaics?
immc | Louvain-la-Neuve
It’s the Energy Transition Week at UCLouvain!
At iMMC, sustainability is not a slogan — it’s our daily scientific reality.
Every day this week, discover one of our researchers whose work drives real change toward a sustainable future.
Wood: a new source of inspiration for photovoltaics?
The European Union has set ambitious targets for photovoltaic development as part of its clean energy transition. Yet most large-scale solar farms still rely on expensive steel support structures — with a heavy environmental footprint, limited landscape integration, and low public acceptance.
At iMMC, we explore a surprising alternative: using minimally processed tree trunks to build photovoltaic power plants.
Within Prof. Pierre Latteur’s team, Benjamin Dardenne develops four families of timber structures designed to reconcile energy performance, reduced ecological and economic impact, landscape acceptance, and the use of local resources.
“Wood: the new material of the future for better energy production?”
Learn more about our structural engineering research.