News broke this week that a new solar panel efficiency world record was set for converting sunlight into electricity, by China-based manufacturer Longi
A new solar panel efficiency world record has been broken by using a low-cost alternative to rare-earth metals, perovskite, a far cheaper, abundant mineral that is easy to find all over the world.
But it is a British company, not a Chinese firm, that is in the forefront of developing a perovskite-based solar film that has the potential to transform the capture of solar energy.
Power Roll is based in County Durham, and is close to completing the raising of a £50 million pound investment programme to build another new factory in the North East of England.
“What an exciting world record,” said Neil Spann, Power Roll’s CEO. “While the need to grow and decarbonise our electricity supply is well known, significant challenges in scaling solar energy installations globally remain. These include the concentration of solar supply chain in the Far East, and the use of rare earth materials in existing solar solutions.
“Power Roll is developing a solar film that addresses these challenges, enabling mass-scale global deployment, with the first commercial scale factory in the UK acting as a catalyst for global growth. To reduce the vast quantity of rare earth minerals used in traditional solar, we decided to work with perovskite, which is abundant and efficient in absorbing and converting sunlight into energy.”
In just one hour, enough sunlight hits the earth to power the whole world for a year.
Power Roll is building the next generation of solar PV modules, with solar film that combines thousands of microgrooves with perovskite. This unique combination creates lightweight, flexible solar modules that do not use rare earth materials and are produced using cost-efficient processes.
Neil Spann added: “The world record using perovskite is great news, and helps to encourage their development for solar energy. We’re excited, and proud, to be a British firm that is making the future before it happens.”
ENDS
Contact Graham Sievers 07722 282946 for more information, or an interview with Power Roll.
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