A low-cost, flexible photovoltaic solution for more efficient buildings
When discussing greenhouse gases and climate change, typical culprits include the aviation, automotive and oil and gas industries. What’s often not mentioned is the significant carbon footprint of the building sector. But with nearly 40 % of the world’s energy demand being consumed by commercial and residential buildings, it is impossible to ignore the inefficiency of our building stock. One potential solution is building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV). BIPV are photovoltaic (PV) materials used to replace conventional building materials in, for example, a structure’s roof, skylights or facades. Because they enable buildings to become self-sustainable energy producers and comply with the EU’s stringent energy efficiency standards, demand for BIPV products is on the rise. Unfortunately, due to a lack of scalability and high production costs, the BIPV market hasn’t been able to keep up with this demand. “That’s why crystalsol has developed the world’s first truly low-cost, fully flexible PV solution for BIPV applications,” says Rumman Syed, CEO at crystalsol(opens in new window), an Austrian-Estonian PV technology company. Now, thanks to the support of the EU-funded cs-BIPV-FS project, this solution is well on its way to hitting the global market.
Helping Europe meet its 2030 climate goals
Crystalsol’s patented PV technology is unique in that it combines the advantages of high-efficiency single-crystalline materials with low-cost roll-to-roll production. The film’s light absorbing layer is made of crystalline semiconductor particles with a typical diameter of 40 μm. These particles are arranged as a single layer fixed by a polymer film. The semiconductor particles contain such low-cost elements as copper, zinc, tin, sulfur and selenium. Every semiconductor particle is coated with an extremely thin buffer layer, which creates the p-n junction(opens in new window). The result is a working solar cell. Through the cs-BIPV-FS project, crystalsol was able to conduct a comprehensive feasibility study and analysis of the proposed technology. “The study confirmed that crystalsol’s technology allows for a true integration of PV within existing and new buildings,” explains Syed. “We also demonstrated how innovative new technologies are key to helping the EU achieve its 2030 climate goals(opens in new window).”
A key competitive advantage
The project also looked at the product’s market viability. According to Syed, what they discovered is that BIPV products currently available on the market are expensive and of limited use due to weight, size and shape restrictions. Crystalsol’s solution, on the other hand, is flexible enough that it can be easily integrated into facades and glass surfaces. “Our flexible PV technology makes it possible to cost-efficiently produce non-encapsulated BIPV modules for easy end-product integration,” adds Syed. “The versatility of this technology means it can be integrated into many kinds of applications, which is a key competitive advantage we have over existing solutions.”
Moving towards full commercialisation
Thanks to the support of EU funding, the crystalsol solution is one step closer to reaching the market. “The project confirmed the commercial potential of our groundbreaking BIPV technology,” concludes Syed. “It is the first step towards upscaling our production process and moving towards full commercialisation.” The company is now finalising the production technologies needed to produce its BIPV solution at scale. It is also exploring potential partnerships to help kick off a successful market entry.
