CSEM Brasil, SUNEW and Cambrios have announced they have jointly developed "OPV Power Film" that uses Cambrios' ClearOhm materials to make transparent solar cells which will be integrated into windows and make use of the large areas available to produce power in buildings.
CSEM Brasil has already prototyped large area OPV Power Film using silver nanowires applied to a glass window.
OPV Power Film will be manufactured and sold by SUNEW, which was formed in 2015. Their aim is to create the world's largest facility to manufacture OPV and revolutionise the solar industry in Brazil and worldwide.
Tiago Alves, CEO of CSEM Brasil and Chairman of SUNEW, said, "OPV Power Film is a big step in fulfilling our vision of energy everywhere and to bring solar energy generation close to where it is consumed in urban areas. Cambrios' invisible electrodes are key to making transparent OPV films a reality."
John LeMoncheck, President and CEO of Cambrios Advanced Materials, said, "Cambrios is delighted to collaborate with CSEM Brasil and SUNEW to develop new breakthrough products to address the huge BIPV market."
Organic Photovoltiacs and Zero Energy Buildings
The vision of net zero energy buildings (nZEB) requires that each building generates all the power it consumes. For this to be a reality it is not enough to use solar on just the rooftops of buildings but rather solar cells must also be integrated with the facades and windows of buildings.
Traditional technologies such as silicon panels are heavy and cannot be easily integrated on the walls.
Organic photovoltaics (OPV) are the best option for building integration due to their intrinsic characteristics as they are highly flexible, lightweight, and available in many colors offering beautiful aesthetics.
OPV is a good example of organic electronics ability to use large-area low-cost roll-to-roll printing which is very scalable to large volume production with low carbon footprint and low cost.
Commercial buildings are increasingly using glass facades and over 10 Billion m2 of flat glass was produced in 2016 with 70% going into facades. OPV Power Film is designed to easily integrate into the glass facades.
Source: CSEM Brasil | SUNEW | Cambrios