introducing photo voltaic movies as an adaptive ‘inexperienced’ innovation
Comply with our latest round-up in 2022 essentially the most impactful renewable vitality options, it’s secure to say that ‘inexperienced energy’ has taken nice leaps ahead. Along with providing cleaner alternate options to fossil fuels, the most recent improvements additionally promote accessibility, adaptability, and adaptability in varied industries – specifically Agriculture, structure, and transportation.
Demonstrating this evolution within the renewable vitality sector is photo voltaic movie, a comparatively new product developed by European corporations such because the German model Heliatek and the French enterprise Photo voltaic Material. Whereas out there photo voltaic panels present a superb supply of fresh vitality, their inflexible construction prevents them from becoming on most surfaces – leaving ‘almost 98% of all international out there roof surfaces […] not used for solar energy technology. There’s a big unlocked potential that we are able to now entry with our photo voltaic movies,’ wrote Heliatek.
Versatile, light-weight, and straightforward to put in, these malleable ‘panels’ have the identical efficiency as conventional photo voltaic constructions with attention-grabbing variations.
picture courtesy of Heliatek
heliatek: utilizing natural photovoltaic expertise
Since 2017, Heliatek’s ready-to-use movie, HeliaSol, has been put in in buildings throughout the nation and the world. From a faculty to a wind turbine tower and a logistics facility, the product could be clad in facades or grow to be a part of the roof construction, masking extra surfaces than conventional panels and, due to this fact, generate extra photo voltaic vitality.
Designed like a sticker, the photo voltaic movie is ultra-thin, versatile, and customizable, weighing just a few grams. It may be arrange in just some hours on massive surfaces. Efficiency smart, the movie generates 85W/sqm and leaves an ultra-low carbon footprint of lower than 10 g CO2e/kW. This makes it one of many greenest clear vitality options on the market. ‘The electrical energy generated from our photo voltaic panels is 50 occasions greener than the grid combine and 100 occasions greener than coal-fired electrical energy technology.,’ continues the German model.
HeliaSol cladding on a wind turbine tower | picture courtesy of Heliatek
To make the movie, the corporate makes use of natural photovoltaics (OPV) expertise, the place mild is transformed into electrical energy utilizing semiconducting supplies. ‘The natural stack in our photo voltaic movies consists of many particular person layers however has a complete thickness of just below a thousandth of a millimeter. In consequence, our photo voltaic movies have distinctive properties: They’re ultra-light, versatile, ultra-thin, and actually inexperienced. This makes them the proper selection for all surfaces and functions the place standard PV modules don’t match, further prices for mounting constructions are required, or constructing code doesn’t permit it.,’ explains the corporate.
Along with HeliaSol, the German model launched HeliaFilm, a stick-on movie roll that’s each mild and versatile. Its functions are nearly limitless as a result of it may possibly adhere to glass, concrete, and metallic. Heliatek is especially focused on creating Heliafilm for higher integration with glass by taking part in with coloration variations and transparency.
Heliatek’s product can be utilized on facades or roofs picture courtesy of Heliatek
Photo voltaic Material: CIGS-based photovoltaic movies
One other model that’s thriving on this trade is France-based Photo voltaic Material. In October 2019, the firm launched its rollable M170 photo voltaic movie mannequin with encapsulated cells. Boasting a 0.5 mm thickness and 170W/sqm energy, the product could be put in on all surfaces, spherical or straight. Materials-wise, the M170 additionally contains photovoltaic textiles – this time, nonetheless, made utilizing CIGS (Copper, Indium, Gallium, and Selenium) expertise. As well as, this system is closely based mostly on materials recycling, which provides a extra ‘inexperienced’ contact to the corporate’s invention.
In line with Photo voltaic Material, the CIGS-based expertise has generated a 17.2% yield for the primary time in roll-up based mostly material, with decrease manufacturing prices.
M170 rollable photo voltaic movie | picture courtesy of Photo voltaic Material
