PYME INNOVADORA
SOLERTEX PROJECT: A photovoltaic fabric for umbrellas and sunshades
Barcelona, March 17, 2020.
The project
The SOLERTEX project, with expedient number RD16-1-0115, has been approved in the 2016 call of the subsidy program to NUCLIS of industrial research and experimental development of the Agency for the Competitiveness of the Company (ACCIÓ), co-financed by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), with the aim of encouraging the implementation of industrial research and experimental development activities.
- A consortium of Catalan companies, with the participation of research centres, is developing an advanced photovoltaic technology for use in foreign countries
- The sunshades and umbrellas could incorporate these techniques to generate solar energy and improve energy efficiency
- An energy management system produced can feed the lighting or the charging of intelligent telephones
A Catalan consortium has developed new flexible fabrics that incorporate photovoltaic modules and phase change materials for the manufacture of outdoor solar protection products, such as for sunshades or roofs. The incorporation of these two technologies has the objective of increasing the energy efficiency of the products manufactured, making them energy self-sufficient. Furthermore, the JVV Grup has developed a system for managing the energy produced by the module in order to feed the product’s functions, such as lighting and the charging of mobiles, among others.
The manufactured fabrics contain photovoltaic plates in a raw layer on a canvas, incorporating special adhesives, encapsulation processes and antibrutality recoveries. On the other hand, a sunshade has been designed and built with these integrated photovoltaic modules, as well as elements such as lighting or a motor for opening and closing. It has been proven that the para-sol is energy self-sufficient.
The SOLERTEX project consortium brings together companies with complementary capacities to develop innovative industrial products with the collaboration of Catalan research centres. The consortium is formed by IASO, project coordinator and manufacturer of solar protection systems for multiple applications; SAULEDA, manufacturer of technical fabrics for solutions for solar protection and industry; JVV Grup, an engineering and manufacturing company of custom-made electronic projects and ECOPOL TECH, manufacturing specialities in the area of fluid nanostructured polymers for various applications, mainly adhesives and functional recoveries. In addition, Leitat and IREC have participated in the project by providing technological value to companies in the scientific and technical areas that have required.
