ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe to Develop Organic Photovoltaics for Steel Construction
09/09/2011 - ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe and Konarka Technologies will work together to develop steel roof and facade elements with integrated organic photovoltaics. The development will be based on a solar module from Konarka with a photo-reactive polymer that can be applied to various substrates when dissolved.
ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe and Konarka Technologies will work together to develop steel roof and facade elements with integrated organic photovoltaics.
The joint solution to be developed in the coming years will not need to be mounted on a raised structure but will integrate into the building envelope. The development will be based on PowerPlastic®, a solar module from Konarka Technologies with a photo-reactive polymer that can be applied to various substrates when dissolved. In addition to steel, suitable substrates include glass and other construction materials, as well as films and textiles.
The surface is applied to the substrate materials in a continuous process. The construction elements with organic photovoltaic cells are available in various colors, color combinations, and sizes. The technology is also 100% recyclable.
Organic solar cells are ideal for use on facades, according to ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe. The company intends to harness this potential for steel facade elements with photovoltaic functionality. During the production of construction elements, steel strip is coil coated with films, paint, or plastic coatings. These continuous coating lines could also be used to apply the organic photovoltaic surface.
Dr. Lars Pfeiffer is in charge of quality and development at the Color/Construction unit: “Organic photovoltaic technology can be ideally integrated into our production process. That would enable us to provide our customers with valuable additional benefits at low cost.”
Alex Valenzuela, Konarka’s Vice President for Business Development in Europe, said: “In ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe we have found a competent industrial partner who, like us, uses automated roll-to-roll processes to produce high-quality steel construction elements. Our capabilities are the perfect match.”
Founded in 2001, Konarka Technologies is a technology leader in the area of organic solar cells. Central to the technology is a photo-reactive polymer developed by co-founder and Nobel Laureate Dr. Alan Heeger. The company holds more than 350 patents and employs around 110 people at its main site in Lowell, Mass. (U.S.) and its branches in New Bedford, Mass., Nuremberg (Germany), and Linz (Austria).
ThyssenKrupp Steel Europe AG and its subsidiaries make up the Steel Europe business area of the ThyssenKrupp Group. With a crude steel capacity of around 15 million tonnes per year, the company is Germany’s biggest steel producer and the second-biggest manufacturer of flat carbon steel in Europe. The company is focused on the high-end segment of the flat carbon steel market and is regarded as a technology leader in steel production.
