This page presents a concept for a free-flying photovoltaic array: a set of modular solar tiles that can be deployed as a loose, three-dimensional formation instead of a single rigid panel.
Parametric tiles
Each tile is built from a structural frame, a back sheet, a mosaic of photovoltaic cells, surface busbars, and a power connector. Two cell geometries are supported:
- Square tiles arrange square wafers in a regular grid, similar to conventional flat-plate panels.
- Hexagonal tiles pack hexagonal wafers in a honeycomb pattern, which can reduce inter-cell gaps and improve packing density for a given framing envelope.
The side size is a global parameter. Changing it rescales every tile and the spacing between them, so the whole array scales together while preserving relative proportions.
Flying array layout
The demo places the tiles in a grid and lets them float with a gentle vertical motion. Four spacing presets are provided:
- Tight keeps the tiles close, almost touching.
- Normal leaves a practical gap for cabling and thermal expansion.
- Loose spreads the formation to show individual tile geometry.
- Wave adds a larger sinusoidal height variation across the array.
Each tile is linked to its neighbors by flexible harnesses, illustrating how the mosaic can still operate as a single electrical bus even when the structure is no longer a single rigid sheet.
Explore the model
Use the controls above to switch between square and hexagonal cells, change the tile side size, adjust the number of columns and rows, and try different array spacing. The view controls include auto-rotate, top, side, isometric, reset, and PNG snapshot. Clicking a tile or cable reveals the component name.
The concept scale is one scene unit to one meter, with tile side sizes ranging from one to two and a half meters.
This is a design surface rather than a flight article. Its purpose is to make the trade-off between tile shape, size, and array density inspectable as one coherent system.