Sweden-based solar technology company Epishine has launched a new factory to produce printed organic solar cells using its in-house developed roll-to-roll printing process. It has an annual capacity to roll out 100 million modules. The management said that the factory's strategic location allows for future expansion.
"We have developed our unique roll-to-roll printing process of indoor solar cells with comparably low temperatures and efficient material usage, where for instance one gram of the semiconductor material is sufficient for several square meters of solar cells," said Epishine CTO Jonas Bergqvist.
Epishine says this technology facilitates the production of sustainable modules at an unprecedented scale, 'making disposable batteries unnecessary.'
Integrated directly into electronic devices, organic PV cells (OPV) are equipped to capture indoor light to make electronics self-powered and do away with the need to use cables, disposable batteries and hence their maintenance. Epishine sees their use in powering everything from sensors to smart restroom facilities and digital price tags, and more.
In October 2023, the company announced achieving a low carbon footprint of 0.86 g CO2 eq/cm2 for its patented production process after a lifecycle assessment process conducted by the Swedish environmental consultancy company Miljögiraff and third-party reviewed by Sweco.
Epishine's factory launch news comes soon after another European OPV manufacturing facility was announced last month in France by Dracula Technologies. It is using inkjet printing to produce customized modules for the IoT sector (see Organic Solar PV Module Factory In France).
While China dominates the global silicon solar supply chain, the European Commission believes the European Union must use its technological edge in next-generation solar technologies to build an advanced manufacturing base, which could include OPV as well (see Political Interest Must For EU PV Manufacturing Growth).