Italian solar module manufacturer Verditek Solar Italy, a unit of U.K.-based cleantech company Verditek plc, has developed a building-integrated PV (BIPV) flexible solar module with a power output of 410 W that can be installed directly on curved surfaces without the need for additional structural support.
“Our Lightweight VSG01M panel is the result of years of research and development and can be used on surfaces that were previously never considered suitable for solar power,” a company spokesperson told pv magazine. “Despite its low weight of only 3kg per square meter, the product shows the same efficiency and reliability as traditional glass-backsheet panels.”
The monocrystalline module has a power conversion efficiency of 20.1% and is able to operate with a maximum system voltage of 1,000 V. Its open-circuit voltage is 51.5 V and the short-circuit current is 9.7 A.
The panel has dimensions of 1,973x996x1.5mm and a weight of 4.9kg. Its temperature coefficient is -0.37% per degree Celsius. The product comes with a 20-year linear power output guarantee and a 10-year product guarantee. Its output is guaranteed at 85% of the original efficiency for 10 years.
In the module, the solar cells are placed into a lightweight polymer laminate panel, which is claimed to provide an anti-scratch, anti-glare protection to the product. The flexible module can bend up to 35% using standard 160µ-thick crystalline cells.
“The module is being produced at the company's 80 MW factory near Milan,” the spokesperson went on to say, noting that the new product is less than 3mm thick and can be applied to a surface to minimize or eliminate wind load. “We work where conventional PV cannot.”
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Would this work on an EV for partial charging?
Verditek has used these panels on the roof of electrified vehicles and bikes:
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/verditek_solarenergypanels-solarenergy-cleanenergy-activity-6802983643405930496-_rr_