10.11.2023
Source: Energy & Management Powernews
Two start-ups are developing ideas for the resource-saving production of solar modules and are now receiving funding to do so.
The German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU) is supporting "PV2+" from Freiburg and "Better Sol" from Braunschweig as part of its green start-up funding. The two young companies have developed "forward-looking ideas for conserving resources in the solar industry", according to the foundation. In doing so, they are filling a gap, as too little attention has been paid to the consumption of raw materials in the manufacture of solar systems, for example, according to the press release.
PV2+, a spin-off of the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE), is working on a "promising solution" that will enable solar cell manufacturers to replace silver with copper. "Silver is the only critical resource for the production of PV modules," says Katharina Braig. "Currently, around 17 percent of the silver extracted from mines each year is used for solar cells," says the co-founder of the start-up. Without technical innovations, the solar industry will demand all the silver from mining by 2030. The scientist also fears social conflicts in the mining regions.
According to Braig, copper is 100 times cheaper and 1000 times more available than silver. However, the screen printing process commonly used today to apply silver contacts does not work with copper. PV2+ has therefore developed a special electroplating process.
Thanks to a high recycling rate, there is sufficient copper available in Germany, says Braig. "This shortens transport routes, reduces climate-damaging emissions and makes the solar industry less dependent on international raw material markets," she emphasizes. The modules can also produce more electricity than conventional PV systems, as the copper cables are narrower and shade the surface of the solar cell less.
Solar modules get a second life
The start-up Better Sol is developing an intelligent and automated testing process to check used PV modules for electrical safety or cracks in the cell surface. A self-developed algorithm then evaluates the expected remaining service life and output.
"We sell all modules with at least 80 percent output via our online store," says Luisa Schulze. The second-hand modules should cost no more than half the price of new ones. "We give solar modules a second life, conserve resources and make renewable energy affordable," emphasizes the Managing Director and co-founder of Better Sol.
The German Federal Environmental Foundation points out that, according to the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems, photovoltaic systems connected 40,000 MW of power to the grid in Germany for the first time at the beginning of May this year. "It is crucial that we focus on expanding renewable energies in order to meet climate protection targets while at the same time securing the energy supply," says DBU Secretary General Alexander Bonde. It is important to use the necessary raw materials responsibly.
Author: Fritz Wilhelm
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