Following two years of testing, Insolight’s pre-production modules have set a new efficiency standard of 29% for commercial solar panels. The validated results lead the startup towards large-scale industrialization with its first pre-production full-size series.
During the past 15 years, the average efficiency of commercial PV panel has increased by only 3.5% whereby today’s rooftop standard modules typically show an efficiency of 17-19%. As conventional technologies are slowly reaching their maturity, new approaches are needed.
Insolight is taking a new approach to creating high-efficiency solar modules for the rooftop market. Its patented optical system concentrates light onto an array of tiny space-grade multi-junction photovoltaic cells.
In November 2018, the Solar Energy Institute of the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (IES-UPM) validated Insolight’s pre-production module at a nominal peak efficiency of 29% in CSTC conditions. Insolight’s modules were also tested in real-life conditions for a whole year on a pilot installation at the Swiss Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) and successfully endured heat-waves, winter conditions, and storms. The Fraunhofer ISE first tested Insolight’s concept on a lab prototype in 2016, setting a record for a rooftop technology.
Insolight’s system can be assembled as an overlay on top of a standard PV panel. This hybrid approach is especially effective in cloudy conditions, where concentration efficiency decreases, to maintain energy harvesting under diffuse sunlight.
Industrial readiness
To speed up its market entry, Insolight is now discussing with several solar manufacturers to license its technology. “Our technology involves a few extra assembly steps, which can be added at the end of existing production lines, taking leverage of production capabilities already in place”, says Laurent Coulot, CEO of Insolight.
“Over the last two years, our team has brought the product from a lab prototype to a full-size solar panel, connected to the grid and monitored 24/7. Our system has been extensively tested, and we are now preparing an industrialization strategy for large-scale production”, says Mathieu Ackermann, CTO of Insolight.
By significantly boosting the energy yield, Insolight’s panels will deliver more energy and higher investment returns compared with mainstream PV modules. “Our technology can reduce solar electricity costs by up to 30% on rooftops in sunny countries,” says Coulot, who expects to see the first Insolight product hitting the market by 2022.
(Press release/RAN)
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