MIL OSI Translation. Government of the Republic of France statements from French to English –
Source: Switzerland – Department of Foreign Affairs in French
Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research
Dübendorf, St. Gallen and Thun, 24.09.2024 – “Perovskia Solar” has won over ten leading companies from the “Internet of Things” (IoT) sector as customers and received over two million francs in seed capital. The multi-award-winning Empa spin-off prints tailor-made solar cells for almost any electronic device. These can be produced inexpensively – and even work indoors.
Every person owns an average of seven electronic devices. Several billion devices are in use worldwide – and with the “Internet of Things” (IoT), their number is constantly increasing. These must be regularly recharged or their batteries regularly changed. This is why the Empa spin-off “Perovskia Solar” has specialized in tailor-made solar cells for every conceivable electronic device – and with success: it has won over ten leading companies in the “Internet of Things” (IoT) sector as customers and has just received more than two million francs from an international coalition of business angels and early-stage funds. “Energy harvesting for IoT devices is a fast-growing market with multi-billion dollar potential,” said Anand Verma, founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Empa spin-off. “Our easy-to-integrate, designer solar cells either eliminate the need for batteries or extend their lifespan, opening up the possibility of powering any device with solar energy.”
Solar cells from the printer
The multi-award-winning Empa spin-off has brought the first perovskite solar cells to market that can be used for smartwatches, keyboards, and more. The custom manufacturing of traditional silicon solar cells is complex, expensive, and inefficient in low-light conditions. “We can print new perovskite solar cells in any size at low cost. Thanks to their high efficiency, they can power almost any indoor electronic device, whether at home or in the office, in a well-lit environment,” says Anand Verma.
“Our energy harvesting technology was developed over several years at Empa, which enabled us to launch with a market-ready product that powers next-generation devices for industrial and private applications,” adds Tobias Meyer, founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Perovskia. Perovskites certainly have excellent properties: they absorb light particularly efficiently and conduct the resulting current well. But until now, perovskite solar cells were not stable enough and did not have a long enough lifetime to be used on a large scale. That is why Anand Verma spent five years researching printing processes for perovskite solar cells at Empa before setting up his own business in 2020.
A new factory and international support
“Perovskia Solar” now supplies several international companies with custom-made solar cells for IoT and consumer electronics. The Empa spin-off is now supported by the venture capital fund “Kickfund” of “Venture Kick” and the venture capital company “D
The Empa spin-off recently built a factory in Aubonne, in the canton of Vaud. One million perovskite elements are expected to be printed there each year.
Address for sending questions
Prof. Dr. Frank NüeschFunctional-PolymersTel. 41 58 765 4740frank.nueesch@empa.ch
Anand VermaCEO Perovskia Solaranand.verma@perovskia.solar
Author
Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Researchhttp://www.empa.ch
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and/or sentence structure not be perfect.