Heliatek, a pioneer in the field of organic photovoltaic (OPV), and RECKLI, a designer and manufacturer of liquid rubbers, molds and elastic formliners for the building supplier industry, have entered into an agreement to develop Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) solution. Based on the agreement, Heliatek's organic solar panels will be integrated onto concrete façades.
Heliatek's ultra-thin, organic solar panels will transform the building envelope into an efficient solar energy harvester while blending discretely into a building's design with a choice of colours.
The integration will enable the building’s concrete walls to become extremely efficient solar power harvesters.
The new BIPV solution will help minimize the carbon footprint of a building by providing distinct, aesthetically pleasing appearance. The highly efficient organic photovoltaic (OPV) technology of Heliatek was chosen for this application, as it is lightweight, ultra-thin and more powerful. In addition, the technology harvests the sun's power at peak effi¬ciency for longer time when compared to other traditional solar tech¬nologies. In case of conventional solar panels, their effi¬ciency decreases with increase in temperature and decrease in light intensity. However, Heliatek's OPV technology maintains the efficiency up to 80°C and its performance is not affected by the light intensity.
RECKLI has chosen to partner with Heliatek for two major reasons, one is the effectiveness of Heliatek’s organic solar technology, and second is that the technology has zero environmental impact due to absence of toxic ingredients and offers non-toxic manufacturing with less energy and material use.
The new solar concrete façade system will deliver several benefits. It does not require safety handling and installation like glass modules, as the solar cells are applied on a lightweight, flexible and thin plastic sheet. Moreover, the use of BIPV solution minimizes structural support issues as it is only 0.5 kg/sq.m, which is less compared to conventional solar panels at 10 to 15 kg/sq.m. The new solar modules will be available in a wide range of colors and sizes.