The Dutch specialty module manufacturer Mito Solar now offers PV modules in a wide range of colors for the hunting and mobility applications. The colors are made possible by a front incineration made from thermoplastic polyool fi n (TPO).
Mito Solar, a modified PV module manufacturer, now offers custom-made colored solar panels for specialized applications, such as yachts and vehicles.
The colored modules are made with the help of a colored front inhabiting of thermoplastic polyool fi n (TPO). A wide range of colors: blue, green, gray, gold and terracotta are available.
“Our solar panels produced with this colored encapsulant create an ideal optical layer that can perfectly integrate into applications such as cars and yachts, where aesthetics is important,” said Jules van Haren, co-owner of Mito Solar, PV -Magazine.
The Encapsulant material comes from the Austria-based lens artificial substances. It is used as a drop-in replacement for the clear Encapsulant that is usually used to make solar panels, according to the company. No other process changes are needed.
“This makes it easy to offer colored solar panels for applications where seamless visual integration is important, such as on yachts and vehicles,” the manufacturer said.
The encapsulating color technology is not based on the use of dyes or pigments, but it is structurally, so-called low loss interference coloring, which splits incoming light into different wavelengths such as a prism.
Only specific wavelengths are displayed to create visible color. The rest of the light, especially the part that the solar cell needs to generate electricity, goes through.
With the method, modules can be alive without using pigments, and with only a small effect on energy output, according to the manufacturer.
The assessment is that due to the dependence on reflected light, the observed dyes may be different than on pigment -based systems, and not all color standard coding system values (CMYK or RAL) can be matched exactly.
Regarding the effect on performance, the company offers advice. Dark colors lead to less efficiency loss, while bright tones such as terracotta or clear gold can lead to slightly higher reflection losses. “On average, modules are said to retain more than 90% of their original efficiency and in more demanding color cases, at least 80%, depending on the type of cover glass that is used,” it said.
Mito Solar, founded in 2019, offers performance -enhancing films for solar panels, waterproofing films and a series of standard and flexible modules based on highly efficient back contact solar cells, usually made for vehicles, yachts and innovative space applications.
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