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Canadas Solaires Entreprises says its indoor perovskite modules are suitable for powering a range of electronic devices, such as wireless keyboards, smart door locks, electronic shelf labels and sensors.
Perovskite solar technology company Solaires Entreprises has launched a pilot production line to manufacture indoor perovskite photovoltaic modules in Langford, British Columbia, Canada.
The company wants to sell the panels to manufacturers of automobiles, consumer electronics, sensors and LED components. “The pilot line will produce 200,000 units per year, each measuring 3.82 cm x 7.62 cm,” Fabian De La Fuente, CEO of Solaires, told pv magazine .
The types of applications Solaires is targeting include self-charging electronic devices, wireless keyboards, smart door locks, electronic shelf labels and sensors. Solaires states that its modules can be independent or combined with rechargeable batteries.
Solaires will manufacture the complete package in its own facilities.
“We have all the equipment to do it. Our manufacturing process is a sheet-to-sheet process for rigid glass substrates using die-cut coating, screen printing, laser ablation and lamination. We also have internal quality control and testing teams,” explains De La Fuente, who adds that the manufacturing equipment is available on the market and is scalable.
The modules are based on perovskite tuned for indoor light absorption and have a 35% energy conversion with indoor light. The current prototypes have an opening area of ??17.22 cm2 and an active area of ??14.70 cm2.
Under halogen lamp illumination at 1000 lux, the panels achieved a power density of 0.15 mW/cm2 and a maximum power point (MPP) of 2.2 mW, with current MPP at 0 .52 mA and short circuit current at 0.60 mA.
Under light-emitting diode lamp illumination at 1000 lux, the power density is 0.06 mW/cm2, the power MPP is 0.9 mW, the current MPP is 0.23 mA, and the current short circuit is 0.27 mA. The MPP voltage and open circuit voltage are the same for both types of lamps, at 4 V and 5 V, respectively.
The company, originally from the Canadian University of Victoria, was founded in 2022. It began as a producer of mixed halide perovskite solutions, a product it called Solar Ink, with an energetic bandgap of 1.54 eV. It was differentiated from the competition by its longer useful life, according to De La Fuente.
In addition to manufacturing modules, Solaires will continue to sell perovskite materials. “Our business model is to license our technology to manufacturers around the world and includes the supply of materials, such as our perovskite ink and other unique layers in the complete package of modules,” said De La Fuente.
De La Fuente noted that thin film technologies, particularly perovskites, excel in indoor light absorption compared to silicon, due to their intrinsic properties as a material. |
