OPES Solar Mobility, a joint venture between solar module company OPES Solutions and an unidentified German family office, has announced a new manufacturing fab in Germany to produce vehicle-integrated solar PV panels to capitalize on the growing trend of vehicle electrification.
The manufacturing facility, with an unidentified annual capacity at an unknown location, will produce flexible solar panels, an advanced version of the company's SolFlex module, to be installed on the surface of delivery vehicles and buses. OPES developed SolFlex modules with Fraunhofer CSP in 2021, touting a cell efficiency of over 22%.
OPES says it has extensively tested its adhesive tape for solar modules on various vehicle surfaces. The tape ensures optimum aerodynamics, condensation drainage and quick installation.
"Trucks and vans have large surfaces that can be easily equipped with solar modules – combined with increasingly large battery capacities that simplify the use of photovoltaics," explained OPES Solar Mobility CEO Robert Händel. "Our concept is an ideal fit for this. The solar energy generated can be used for immediate consumption or also stored; a decisive factor for greater ranges and meeting the energy needs of vehicles."
The VIPV modules will address the 'urgent need for a reliable supply chain' in Germany that will also help lower carbon emissions, OPES added.
Another useful application is the support of energy consumers in vehicles with combustion engines, such as the refrigeration of fresh goods.
Electricity from solar cells for propulsion is an attractive option for manufacturers of vehicles and box bodies as well as logistics companies and municipalities, according to OPES that already operates a VIPV module manufacturing facility in Changzhou, China.
In July 2022, OPES Solutions announced lightweight, large solar panels as a VIPV solution for camper vans for European motorhome manufacturer Westfalia. It assembles these on a production line at Westfalen Mobil GmbH site in Rheda-Wiedenbrück in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.