HelioSkin: Flexible Photovoltaic System Combines Architecture with 3D Printing

An interdisciplinary research team is working on a new photovoltaic solution that merges aesthetics with technical functionality. The HelioSkin project, developed under the leadership of Jenny Sabin at Cornell University, focuses on a flexible, lightweight solar coating that can adapt to complex structures. In collaboration with experts from physics, engineering, and biology, the team is exploring how architectural materials can be optimized using natural principles to expand the use of solar energy.

The concept is based on the idea that building envelopes should adapt to environmental conditions, much like plants do. The researchers draw inspiration from the natural movement of sunflowers, which orient their growth toward sunlight. By integrating 3D-printed structures, digital fabrication methods, and innovative material combinations, HelioSkin aims to not only enhance energy efficiency but also seamlessly integrate into urban environments in an aesthetically appealing way.

“What we’re really passionate about is how the system could not only produce energy in a passive way, but create transformational environments in urban or urban-rural settings,” Sabin said. “Sustainability is about performance and function, but equally, it’s about beauty and getting people to get excited about it, so they want to participate. The grand goal is to inspire widespread adoption of solar for societal impact.”

A core element of the project is the combination of photovoltaic materials with flexible substrates, which offer mechanical adaptability. The research includes the development of mechanically deformable solar panels that can conform to various surfaces, as well as the use of computer-based simulation methods to optimize light capture. Industry partnerships are being leveraged to explore the scalability and market introduction of this technology.

“We’ve already figured out how to translate our plant cells’ tracking mechanism into Jenny’s architectural software,”  Adrienne Roeder, professor in the Section of Plant Biology in the School of Integrative Plant Science, in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and at the Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, said. “Now we have to start figuring out how to make that transition in HelioSkin.”

“The basic idea is to try to print things in 2D, which is cheap, and then morph it into 3D, allowing it to curve around structures,” Itai Cohen, professor of physics in the College of Arts and Sciences, said. “You can’t just take a normal sheet of paper and wrap something. It’s going to have all sorts of creases to it. Like if you try to wrap an orange, you get all these crinkles. One of the innovations that we came up with was to cut the paper into a pattern of panels and hinges that allows it to locally stretch around these round objects. A second strategy we came up with is to use fabric as a way to make the hinge. Fabric is floppy enough to give you that hinge-like behavior.”

The team is taking a practical approach to implementing HelioSkin, starting with pilot projects for small solar roofs and urban energy infrastructures. The goal is to develop a scalable, architecturally integrated photovoltaic system that not only generates energy but also introduces new design possibilities for buildings and public spaces. In the long run, this technology could help expand the use of renewable energy in architecture and contribute to reducing CO₂ emissions.