PXP Corporation, a Japanese startup developing chalcopyrite and perovskite solar technologies, and Suntory Holdings, a Japanese brewing company, have launched a one-year trial to test the performance and practicality of a vending machine equipped with PXP’s lightweight, glass-free solar panels at Asamizo Park in Sagamihara, Japan (where PXP is headquartered).
For this demonstration experiment, Suntory and PXP worked together with the help of Mitsubishi Corporation, which has expertise in decarbonization solutions, to install solar panels directly on the vending machine itself without any additional equipment. Furthermore, because the solar panels can be installed on all four sides of the vending machine - both sides, the back, and the top - it is expected that the amount of power generated will be greater than that of vending machines equipped with conventional solar panels. This marks the world's first attempt at using solar panels using chalcopyrite solar cells on a vending machine.
In the future, the companies aim to install such cells in places where vending machines have not been able to be installed until now and to use them as a power source in the event of a disaster.
Based on the results of this demonstration, the companies will also consider expanding their use to factories, buildings, and other areas other than vending machines.
PXP's role in this trial is providing the solar cell technology and verifying power supply capacity, while Suntory's role is to provide vending machines, install them at demonstration sites, and confirm and verify their practicality.
