Estonian startup Solarstone announced it has recently secured €10 million ($10.1 million) in its second financing round. “With these funds, Solarstone intends to expand building integrated solar PV solutions across Europe and beyond,” the company said in a statement released. “The investment follows the 700th solar roof installation in eight countries.”
Its building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) product portfolio consists mainly of three products – two types of solar tiles with a nominal power of 90 W and 108 W, respectively, and a rooftop PV system. “We use solar panels from the world's top manufacturers for our full solar roof. We add proprietary and patented aluminum technology, called Click-On frame, that turns a conventional solar panel into the weatherproof roofing material,” Solarstone CEO, Silver Aednik, told pv magazine. “The result is an aesthetically pleasing two-in-one solar roof.”
According to the manufacturer, the Click-On kit tackles the main issues BIPV has been facing, which are compatibility, scalability and complexity of installation. The Click-On profiles are reportedly compatible with the products of most Tier-1 solar panel manufacturers. “The profiles can be fitted on-site and even the most complex rooftop configurations can be handled with ease,” the company said.
One of the two solar tiles, dubbed Solarstone 90 W, has a power conversion efficiency of 19.5%, an open-circuit voltage of 11.22 V, and a short-circuit current of 9.58 A. It has dimensions of 1,530 mm x 395 mm x 31 mm and weighs in at 7 kg.
Image: Solarstone
The tile relies on eight cells measuring 156 mm x 156 mm and 3.2 mm prismatic glass.
The second tile, called Solarstone 108 W, has a larger size of 1,824 mm x 389 mm x 22 mm and a weight of 8 kg. It features an efficiency of 19%, an open-circuit voltage of 12.9 V, and a short-circuit current of 8.39 A.
Image: Solarstone
Both solar tiles come with a 10-year product warranty and a 25-year power output guarantee. They are fabricated with an IP65 enclosure and have an operating temperature coefficient of -0.41% per C. The maximum system voltage for both products is 600 V.
The Solar Roof system consists of standard PV panels fitted with Click-on technology and aluminum composite panels (ACPs). “Its size is variable and is suitable for residential projects, carports, and facades,” the company's CEO said, noting that the panels can be installed in either a landscape or portrait configuration.
“Right now, headquarters and factory are based in Viljandi, Estonia,” Silver noted. “As a manufacturing company, we emphasize automation, one of the main areas where we use the investment. Increasing production capacity and robotizing lines will prepare us for increasing demand.”
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Fantastic!