The Power Tree

Honey
Age 10
Northumberland, UK

Honey's Power Tree minimises the space that flat solar panels need, it frees up countryside land for nature and farming and contributes to a more natural looking landscape. We'd love to see Power Trees in our cities too! Honey took part in a Pioneers workshop at Seaton Valley Library.

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Power Tree

Keep scrolling to see the story of this amazing invention!

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The Inventor
Honey
Seaton Sluice, Northumberland, UK
Peter Coyle
Product designer
Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
The Maker

Invention Story

The Idea!

"This Power Tree uses the sun to make energy. It's prettier than a field full of panels and it does not take up loads of space like panels in a field. It has a power generator inside it's trunk and turns the photosynthesis power into energy! Plus, if it is not a sunny day and it is windy, when the leaves move it also creates energy."

Honey

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The Power Tree was brought to life by two makers. It has been made into this fantastic animation by animator Carys Lewis. See how both makers worked with Honey as you scroll along.

Honey attended the first Pioneer session which helped the Pioneers develop their inventions further. Honey revised her drawing to show more detail on how the Power Tree would work.

Using her Inventor's Log, Honey continued to think about her invention at home, she also created this great comic to explain her invention in yet another way.

Over two video calls Honey met with product designer Peter Coyle from Octo Design and animator Carys Lewis who were both bringing the Power Tree to life in different ways. They talked Honey through their progress and got her feedback.

Honey created this fantastic prototype of the Power Tree at home, getting her dad to lend a hand with cutting the wood. It looks great!

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Honey has also made this great video of the making of her prototype.

The Maker said...

Getting Started by Peter Coyle

In the times before Covid-19 lockdown... I started looking at Honey’s amazing Power Tree idea. It has so ...

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The Maker said...

Branches and Solar Panels by Peter Coyle

I've recently been looking at branches and solar panels for the power tree! Branches – After a ...

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The Maker said...

Generator and Leaves by Peter Coyle

Recently, I’ve been looking at The Power Tree’s generator and its leaves! Generator - The generator will ...

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The Maker said...

Chat with Honey, and the Big Make by Peter Coyle

I had a great chat with the Power Tree’s inventor, Honey – she had made a model of the ...

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The Power Tree has also been brought to life in different way as a fantastic animation by animator Carys Lewis. 

The Maker said...

Designing by Carys Lewis

I loved the way Honey drew The Power Tree, and the lovely colours she used caught my attention, and I really ...

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The Maker said...

Modelling and Rigging by Carys Lewis

I used the software Autodesk Maya to model the tree, and some basic aspects of the environment, like ...

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The Maker said...

Details by Carys Lewis

After I'd modelled out all the assets for the animation, it was time to add materials to them, which is what makes ...

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Animating by Carys Lewis

The next step in this project is the fun part - animating! I really enjoy this part because it brings the creation ...

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The Maker said...

Behind the Scenes by Carys Lewis

Now that I've finished the animating, I thought I'd share some close ups of the model with the "wireframe ...

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The Maker said...

Post Production by Carys Lewis

After rendering, I take all my files into Adobe After Effects to do the finishing touches. This includes ...

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Here is the final creation by animator Carys Lewis inspired by the amazing idea by Honey.

Honey also submitted The Typer 2000 to the Energy Challenge, a fantastic invention that harness the power of typing to generate power for your laptop or computer.

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