A firm is seeking funding to further develop a lightweight photovoltaic material that can be applied to any surface.
The Solar Cloth Company says that its flexible thin film photovoltaic (FTFP) could provide an alternative to traditional photovoltaic (PV) panels and could unleash the potential of building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV).
The FTFP material is a few micrometres thick and based on copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) solar technology. While traditional PV panels weigh 16-20 km per m2, the solar ‘cloth’ weighs just 2 kg/m2, making it suitable for use on a variety of architectural structures, including curved roofs and buildings.
The company has so far attracted £823 950 on crowdfunding platform Crowdcube, with 264 investors sharing a 10.88 per cent stake. It has also signed contracts with 15 local authorities, four UK transport hubs and two major retailers to fit solar systems.
