Heliatek has announced that Lechwerke (LEW), located in the city of Augsburg, has extended their "Energy Façade" - Heliatek's HeliaFilm will be integrated into the façade. The resulting test platform will, over the next few years, be used to measure the output of the organic photovoltaic films in a direct comparison to conventional solar technology.
As part of the project "energy façade", which has launched three years ago, two areas of their southern façade have now been equipped with SVK fiber cement elements covered by HeliaFilm. A total area of 56 m2 with an installed capacity of 2.43 kWp is expected to deliver an estimated yield of about 2000 kWh per year.
According to Heliatek HeliaFilm offers significant advantages in terms of integration on existing commercial and industrial buildings. Through previous projects, the Company has demonstrated that existing buildings can be upgraded to this type of energy with far less effort and cost when compared to conventional PV modules.
In contrast to those modules, Heliatek solar films are integrated directly into the building material at the factory of façade element producer SVK. They are then simply connected at the construction site.
The low weight of the films (1 kg/m2) allows for an easy and low-cost integration both on new and existing façades. Aesthetics also played an important role in the façade design at Lechwerke Augsburg.
The HeliaFilm solar films set visually appealing accents, with a light background on bright fiber cement elements. While aesthetically pleasing, HeliaFilm reduces a building's carbon footprint drastically by 20 g of CO2 per generated kWh.
"Energy production on the façade is our core focus. For us, the renovation market is one of the most important target markets. With innogy SE and SVK, we have long-term partners which will support us reaching into the B2B market. We look forward to establishing successful co-operations."
Thibaud Le Séguillon, CEO Heliatek
"In the expansion of renewable energies, we are well ahead in our region. Photovoltaics play a central role. We offer our customers and our partners a comprehensive range of solutions. We test new, innovative technologies in practice. We are convinced that this pilot project will also provide valuable insights and new potentials for the future of photovoltaics."
Norbert Schürmann, Member of the LEW Board
"In order to place a saleable product, in conjunction with Heliatek, in the coming years, we are now entering the next phase with customer trials. In concrete terms, we are working on simple concepts for assembly and electrical installation, which, in addition to higher yields and a resource-saving production, can be a further advantage over conventional photovoltaic technology."
Carl-Ernst Giesting, Head of B2B at innogy SE
About Heliatek
As technology leader in the organic electronics, Heliatek develops, produces and distributes large area OPV solar films. Its business model is to supply the custom-designed HeliaFilm® to partners in industries, such as building and construction materials and light architectural structures. Heliatek maintains a total staff of some 110 specialists at its facilities in Dresden and Ulm, Germany.
Investors in Heliatek include leading industrial and financial companies such as BASF, HTGF, Innogy Venture Capital, Wellington Partners, eCAPITAL and AQTON SE. New investors include innogy SE, ENGIE, BNP Paribas and CEE Group. Research and development work, as well as the installation of production technology, have been funded by the Free State of Saxony, the Federal Republic of Germany and the European Union.
Source: Heliatek
About Lew Group
The LEW Group operates as a regional energy supplier in Bavaria and in parts of Baden-Württemberg, and employs around 1,800 people. LEW supplies electricity and gas to private, commercial, and business customers - as well as municipalities - and offers these clients a wide range of energy solutions. The LEW Group operates the regional electricity distribution network. It is one of the leading producers of environmentally friendly energy from hydropower in Bavaria, with 36 hydroelectric power stations. LEW also offers services in the areas of network and plant construction, power generation, and telecommunications. Lechwerke AG (LEW) is part of innogy SE, the leading German energy company.
Source: Lew Group
About SVK
SVK, a family owned business in Belgium, has over 100 years of experience in manufacturing, selling building materials. At its home base in Sint-Niklaas, we continue to produce a wide range of top quality roof and façade cladding products. Quality that is the result of our employees' know-how and enthusiasm. As one of the largest manufacturers of building materials in Europe, SVK offers a wide range of fibre cement products. If you are looking for construction materials for your façade or roof, you will find it within the SVK portfolio. This superior product range (façade panels, corrugated sheets and slates), made with the most reliable raw materials and backed with technical expertise for high quality SVK fibre cement products.
Source: SVK
About innogy
innogy SE is Germany's leading energy company, with revenue of around €44 billion (2016), more than 40,000 employees and activities in 16 countries across Europe. With its three business segments Grid & Infrastructure, Retail and Renewables, innogy addresses the requirements of a modern, decarbonised, decentralised and digital energy world. Its activities focus on its 23 million customers, and on offering them innovative and sustainable products and services which enable them to use energy more efficiently and improve their quality of life. The key markets are Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Belgium, as well as several countries in Central Eastern and South Eastern Europe, especially the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland.
Source: innogy
