Saule Technologies, Poland-based developer of perovskite solar cells ink-jet printed on thin foil, has announced the signing of a cooperation agreement with Skanska's commercial development business unit in Central Eastern Europe.
The construction company will be the first to cover office buildings with semi-transparent perovskite solar cells on a commercial scale. Saule Technologies will be the technology provider. The initial implementation tests are planned for 2018 in Poland.
Saule Technologies has been working on the application of ink-jet printing for fabricating free-form perovskite solar modules since 2014. This technique allows the shapes and areas covered by each layer to be customized according to requirements. The stability and water resistance of the modules makes them ideal for the construction industry. The company has conducted advanced research on perovskite applications in solar energy harvesting and optoelectronics with leading international universities in the UK, Israel, Germany, Italy and Spain. With a Japanese investor on board, along with support from the Polish National Centre for Research and Development and several research grants worth more than EUR 20 million, Saule Technologies is now working on a large-scale, prototype production line.
'It is not a science-fiction vision anymore. Working with talented scientists from Saule, we are now turning fiction into reality and creating buildings which are more energy efficient and carbon neutral. Up to now this has not been possible on a large scale. Climate change is one of the biggest challenges the modern world is facing and it contributes to extreme weather events that are increasing in frequency and severity around the world. As such there is increasing legislative pressure to run businesses in a sustainable and attentive manner,' comments Katarzyna Zawodna, CEO of Skanska's commercial development business in CEE.