Dracula Technologies has launched what it terms is the largest of its kind organic PV (OPV) module factory in Europe, in France's Valence region. The Green MicroPower Factory has an annual capacity to produce up to 150 million cm² of OPV devices/year using inkjet printing.
Management said the state-of-the-art fully automated fab will achieve high-volume production of highly customized modules and reduce unit production costs by a factor of 3, without specifying what it would be.
Dracula claims to be the 1st company globally to print with photovoltaic ink with which it produces 'the world's first free-shaped OPV module' LAYER. This ink is made out of conductive materials that do not use rare earth or lead. It can generate energy from ambient light, both natural or artificial.
With this technology, the French manufacturer will cater to a variety of high-volume IoT customers in the space of tracking, healthcare, smart-home, smart buildings, and the like. The company now plans to license the technology.
Dracula says its French factory enables large-scale production of sustainable modules and marks the beginning of the end of conventional batteries.
According to the management, "Not only are traditional batteries toxic to our environment, but their limited lifetimes also render them useless for industrial-grade IoT applications. Additionally, the launch of the new factory arrives at a critical juncture, coinciding with European regulation guidelines to phase out non-rechargeable batteries in IoT devices."
The fully automated fab will start shipping from early-2024. To expand further, it aims to grow its workforce to 250 by 2030 while working exclusively with European suppliers.
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