Plastic material for capturing and storage of solar energy for delayed release of heat.
| Reference number | |
| Coordinator | Solartes AB |
| Funding from Vinnova | SEK 300 000 |
| Project duration | June 2020 - February 2021 |
| Status | Completed |
| Venture | Innovative Startups |
| Call | Innovative Startups step 1 spring 2020 |
Important results from the project
During this project we have successfully fabricated Solartes fibers/textiles and prototype panels. While the textile did not show the expected energy storage and release benefit, we successfully demonstrated the energy harvesting and release function of the Solartes panels. The close dialogue with potential customers gave us detailed insights into the market requirements, e.g. optical and insulation criteria. We identified a high potential of Solartes panels for the design of next generation windows, which improve indoor comfort and the energy efficiency of the building.
Expected long term effects
During this project we succeeded to bring the technology to a small prototype scale. This made it possible for the first time, to visualize the heat release in real-time by filming with a thermal camera. During a 3 months pilot project with potential customers we identified highly insulating windows as the market with the highest potential value for the Solartes technology. First calculations predict that windows with Solartes material could outperform common 3 panel windows and increase the return margin for window producers.
Approach and implementation
The synthesis of the active component was successfully scaled to >100g. To ensure excellent scalability of the composite processing, we engineered the material so that it can be processed from the melt, just like common plastics. The insulation properties of the material were measured with a custom-made setup. Based on the obtained results and in dialogue with potential customers we identified key performance parameters for the window and greenhouse market and started developing a model which describes the benefit of this unique material and its dynamic insulation features.