Inspenet, February 20, 2023
Israeli startup Apollo is producing ultra-thin, flexible, lightweight solar panels that can be placed on virtually any surface. The company has installed these photovoltaic panels on golf carts and car roofs to generate power.
“Our vision is that the world will stop using dedicated areas for solar energy farms and start using existing infrastructure,” says CEO Oded Rozenberg.
The problem with existing solar panels is that the silicon they use as an “active ingredient” is brittle. If you bend it it breaks. That’s why heavy duty solar panels have a metal frame and a glass front.
Apollo says his big breakthrough is making solar panels that are completely flexible. It took four years and a team of 30 researchers to identify a material that would do the job.
Edison tested 6,000 materials before inventing the light bulb. We tried many different materials, until we found the right recipe, the right material, the right electrodes, and the right coatings to make it economical, durable, and efficient,” Rozenberg explained.
One of the biggest challenges was identifying a material as efficient as silicon at converting the sun’s rays into electricity, but with the added benefit of flexibility.
“I cannot reveal the materials we are using. It is our secret ingredient and we have patents for this technology all over the world”, explained the executive.
Last week, the company opened near Yokne’am in northern Israel what it describes as the world’s largest factory for flexible solar power.
Apollo isn’t the only company making flexible solar panels, but Rozenberg says his is “a better product, more efficient, longer lasting, and half the price or less” than anything else.
Photos : https://apollo-power.com/updates/
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