Join daily news updates from CleanTechnica on electronic mail. Or follow us on Google News!
Light-weight, versatile, cheap skinny movie photo voltaic cells have been in the marketplace for years, however they’ve been comparatively invisible right here within the US. That may very well be about to vary. The startup Solivus has simply vaulted into the limelight, having signed onto a three-year provide contract with the worldwide oil and gasoline agency bp. Take a wild guess on what that would imply within the US, the place bp has by some means carved itself a reputation within the discipline of agrivoltaics.
Skinny Movie Photo voltaic Cells Hit The Huge Leagues
In honor of Nationwide Ladies’s Historical past Month, let’s observe that Solivus was based and is CEO’d by the serial entrepreneur Jo Parker-Smith. Beneath her management the corporate has compiled a stable portfolio of tasks since launching in 2016, although it has not come throughout the CleanTechnica radar prior to now.
Solivus reached out to CleanTechnica by electronic mail with a heads-up concerning the hookup between its skinny movie photo voltaic expertise and bp. We’ll chase down a hyperlink for you later right this moment. Within the meantime, let’s check out that electronic mail.
Solivus notes that it battled its means by way of a aggressive bid course of to win the three-year contract, which covers “engineering, procurement, building, and set up of PV Photo voltaic Methods for bp and its prospects.”
When you’re questioning how bp goes to fit skinny movie into its sprawling enterprise, that’s a very good query. The reply almost certainly has one thing to with the main photo voltaic world developer Lightsource bp, the 50-50 photo voltaic three way partnership bp acquired only a few years in the past, in 2017.
Right here within the US, Lightsource has been deploying two rising fields, agrivoltaics and regenerative agriculture, to realize a foothold in states which have been have lagging behind on solar development, reminiscent of Louisiana, amongst others. Lightsource has additionally been leveraging solar arrays for habitat restoration tasks.
Final November, bp introduced that it’s going to take full possession of the corporate, with the goal of “enabling Lightsource bp’s persevering with growth and high performance” (see our full Lightsource archive here).
What Is bp Going To Do With All That Skinny Movie Photo voltaic?
That’s one other good query. Within the electronic mail, Solivus cites Irene Quero, bp’s Vice President for Buyer Integration, who emphasised that bp is “dedicated to assembly buyer calls for.” That might embrace the demand for extra sustainable photo voltaic expertise. Other than the advantages of light weight, flexibility, and low cost, skinny movie photo voltaic cells could be fabricated with nontoxic materials.
Quero moreover notes that bp will discover alternatives to combine the expertise into its personal operations. It stays to be seen if Solivus’s sculptural “Arc” freestanding photo voltaic array (pictured above) is a part of the plan, so keep tuned for extra on that.
Parker-Swift already appears to have some concepts about placing skinny movie photo voltaic to make use of. “Solivus have grown a big consumer record, together with airports and sports activities stadiums, who’re keen to search out renewable power options,” she mentioned, including that “bp have the contacts and the affect to quickly develop this portfolio and help us on our mission to assist decarbonise the constructed surroundings.”
Let’s Look Beneath The Skinny Movie Photo voltaic Hood
Solivus notes that it’s at all times looking out for brand new skinny movie photo voltaic expertise, and for now it has apparently settled on the German agency Heliatek. CleanTechnica has been following the corporate and its natural skinny movie photo voltaic cells by way of the years, together with the potential so as to add a photovoltaic twist to electrical automobiles.
The “natural” in natural skinny movie photo voltaic cells doesn’t stand for granola. It stands for changing daylight to electrical energy by deploying natural chemistry techniques.
Heliatek makes a very good case for its natural skinny movie photo voltaic cells in comparison with non-organic variations. “Inorganic supplies typically include of poisonous substances, are more and more topic to shortage considerations, and basically are very exhausting to get rid of in an environmentally pleasant means,” they observe.
“Alternatively, natural supplies and particularly those that Heliatek has invented, are not toxic, comprise of extraordinarily plentiful naturally occurring components, and are very simple to dispose on the end-of-life in an environmentally pleasant means,” they add.
That sounds easy sufficient, however the satan is within the particulars. “The supplies of the natural photo voltaic stack developed by Heliatek are significantly progressive and are protected by Heliatek’s complete IP portfolio,” the corporate explains. “The natural stack in our photo voltaic movies consists of many particular person layers however has a complete thickness of solely lower than a thousandth of a millimeter.”
Who Wants Report-Breaking Photo voltaic Conversion Effectivity?
As for the query of photo voltaic conversion effectivity, a lot consideration has been paid to the newest breakage of photo voltaic conversion data, and rightfully so. Enhancements in photo voltaic conversion effectivity can assist enhance the prospects for solar energy to compete with fossil power on price.
The primary problem will not be one in every of effectivity. The applying is the primary occasion. Software precedence is starting to emerge in different areas as properly. For instance, final fall CleanTechnica heard from consultants within the discipline of marine power who emphasised that electrical energy customers in distant places have gotten extra centered getting on entry to renewable power, with the comparative price of power being a lesser issue.
Within the discipline of skinny movie, the explosive potential for widespread utility is the sport changer.
Heliatek emphasizes that skinny movie photo voltaic expertise could be utilized in locations the place standard, inflexible photo voltaic panels are troublesome if not unimaginable to use, together with the outer partitions of buildings in addition to all kinds of curved surfaces.
The corporate additionally notes that skinny movie photo voltaic can discover its means onto buildings the place native codes prohibit standard photo voltaic panels. As a consequence of its gentle weight, skinny movie photo voltaic may also be retrofitted onto rooftops that weren’t designed to help the racking techniques required of standard photo voltaic panels.
Chip in a couple of {dollars} a month to help support independent cleantech coverage that helps to speed up the cleantech revolution!
Skinny Movie Photo voltaic To Haters: Nyah, You Missed Me
CleanTechnica is amongst these being attentive to an accelerating motion to block utility-scale solar development within the US. Nonetheless, the sphere of small scale, distributed photo voltaic power techniques remains to be broad open, and the Solivus mannequin matches proper into that image.
In that regard, it’s significantly attention-grabbing to notice Heliatek’s concentrate on skinny movie photo voltaic retrofits for buildings. The corporate notes that its plug-and-play HeliaSol skinny movie could be deployed as a rooftop or facade retrofit, with out the subsurface disruptions required of standard photo voltaic arrays. “Elaborate substructures that penetrate the roof or rear air flow for cooling usually are not required,” the corporate emphasizes.
When you’re considering that “invisible” solar windows for buildings are additionally on the menu, that’s a very good guess. Heliatek already affords a glass-integrated solar film product, and the corporate anticipates additional enhancements in transparency on the horizon.
Observe me @tinamcasey on Bluesky, Threads, Put up, and LinkedIn.
Picture (cropped): This eye-catching standalone solar array from the UK startup Solivus deploys skinny movie photo voltaic expertise for gentle weight, flexibility, and low price (courtesy of Solivus).
Have a tip for CleanTechnica? Need to promote? Need to recommend a visitor for our CleanTech Speak podcast? Contact us here.
Newest CleanTechnica TV Video
CleanTechnica makes use of affiliate hyperlinks. See our coverage here.
