Skanska’s commercial development business unit in Central Eastern Europe will be the first developer worldwide to cover office buildings with semi-transparent perovskite solar cells on a commercial scale. This will revolutionize the approach towards energy self-sufficient buildings. Saule Technologies will be the technology provider. The initial implementation tests are planned for 2018 in Poland.
Energy independent office projects are now becoming a reality thanks to perovskite technology which is ready to be integrated into building façades. Skanska will apply the test-cells onto its projects in 2018, creating a significant milestone towards zero-energy and carbon neutral office investments.
The developer has exclusive rights to use Saule Technologies’ solar cell solutions, as stated in a license-based agreement signed between the companies, in building façades and noise barriers across all Skanska markets worldwide.
Perovskite technology means benefits for the developer, tenants and communities – favorable implementation costs, lower energy costs and consumption, and lower carbon footprints.
Perovskite is a crystalline material that has great potential to replace silicon – currently the world’s most popular semiconductor in solar cell applications. Saule Technologies has been working on the application of ink-jet printing for fabricating free-form perovskite solar modules since 2014.
This technique allows customization of the shape, color and size of the module depending on particular needs and installs them wherever there is a free area on the building. This means not being limited to the roof and static insolation angles, which dramatically increases the ability to harness energy from sun.
The stability and water resistance of the modules makes them ideal for the construction industry. The company has conducted advanced research on the technology with leading international universities in the UK, Israel, Germany, Italy and Spain.
With a Japanese investor on board, along with support from several research grants worth more than EUR 20 million, Saule Technologies is now working on a large-scale, prototype production line.
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