HeliaFilm Installed on Concrete Facade

Europe´s first solar concrete wall was inaugurated yesterday at RECKLI’s headquarter in Herne, Germany. The façade, designed by RECKLI to fit the solar film from Heliatek (HeliaFilm), represents a novel approach to BIOPV – building integrated organic PV. RECKLI and Heliatek are demonstrating the next step towards a sustainable, net-zero energy building.
 
With an installed power of 1kWp, the south-west oriented wall will supply around 500 kWh of electricity per year. The energy produced will be used directly by Reckli. The solar active concrete façade in Herne is made up of three rows of concrete modules with vertically mounted integrated solar film.
 
The annual energy output is expected to be about 25% above the yield of silicon technology. Heliatek has already shown that its solar film, HeliaFilm, delivers more energy under overcast sky conditions and at high temperatures compared to traditional solar cells. This advantage is based on the unique properties of its organic semiconductor. In addition, HeliaFilm allows a wide range of colors and flexible layouts – both features sought after by architects and planners.
 
“We focused for this pilot installation on how to combine the solar film and concrete modules in a reliable and aesthetic manner,“ said Peter Henning, sales manager of RECKLI. “We want to demonstrate to architects, planners and investors how the solar concrete future looks like.“
 
“The unique features of our solar films like ultra-thin, low weight and flexible layout fit this application perfectly,” said Dr. Thomas Bickl, Heliatek’s VP sales and product development. “About 130 million square meters of concrete façades are installed every year worldwide. This is our target market.”
 
Additional pilot projects of RECKLI and Heliatek are in the pipeline for 2016. Market entry is planned for the second half of 2017.