UK based lightweight flexible solar film developer Power Roll will be expanding its production capacity to India under an agreement with Pune based Thermax Group. They plan to explore the market potential for scale manufacturing and deployment of solar films in India.
A successful conclusion to the agreement will have Power Roll's technology being licensed by Thermax for commercial manufacture and sale of solar film in the Asian country which the UK manufacturer sees as one of the most strategic markets for its technology.
"Thermax has the right mix of renewable energy and manufacturing expertise, as well as the size and scale, to be a successful manufacturing partner in India," said Power Roll CEO Neil Spann. "Our technology licensing model is perfectly aligned with the country's 'Make in India' self-reliant strategy and world leading ambition to deploy 280 GW of solar energy by 2030."
Thermax has a business portfolio spanning heating, cooling, power, water solutions, among other industries. In the space of solar, Thermax works as an installer for both rooftop and ground mounted installations.
According to the agreement, both the partners will identify possible applications where Power Roll's lightweight solar film technology can be deployed, and share knowledge on low-cost production processes. The UK based manufacturer uses high-speed roll-to-roll production processes which it stresses eliminates other expensive steps used for other solar PV technologies.
It further claims its solar film has a significantly lower carbon footprint compared to silicon PV, is 25 times lighter and can deliver the lowest levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) for any solar technology.
In March 2021, Power Roll announced a similar strategic partnership with an unidentified Japanese energy company to establish the market potential and use cases for its solar films in the country.