Making flexible solar solutions more accessible

Lightweight, innovative panels fit into spaces unsuited to traditional solar power

Spotted: As the global climate heats up, more people need air conditioning to survive the swelteringly hot temperatures. That rise in demand for electricity is pushing up the overall energy consumption of buildings and construction. The International Energy Agency (IEA) warns that worldwide building energy use could increase by as much as 70 per cent by 2050 “without targeted policy actions”. 

One way to decarbonise the built environment is to make renewable energy sources more accessible and production more sustainable. For instance, traditional PV arrays are often too heavy to be supported by the many vast distribution warehouses springing up around the world as e-commerce continues to grow. But, in the UK, lightweight solar specialist Solivus uses innovative, flexible solar panels to bring renewable energy to the 40 per cent of commercial rooftops and megabuildings that can’t take the weight of conventional solar.

The company supplies its innovative panels to commercial buildings, with installations already in place on sports stadiums, schools, and airports. Each installation is customised to the location, size, and orientation of the building in relation to the sun, ensuring that each structure supports the maximum number of panels.

For homeowners, the Solivus Arc is a patented outdoor solar sculpture, designed to gather light from the sun as it moves across the sky. The Arc contains no rare earth materials and uses organic solar panels, serving as a beacon of Solivus’ innovation and expertise in lightweight solar. Solivus also highlights that there’s a very low carbon cost involved in the Arc’s manufacturing.

Solivus offers engineering, design, installation, monitoring, maintenance, and ongoing reporting, which enables customers to know how much they are saving or making from their solar. If need be, the company also provides financing options, meaning no upfront payments and can organise energy trading for surplus energy to maximise financial opportunities for its customers.

Solar power is rapidly becoming more versatile, with innovations spotted in Springwise’s library including SaaS solar power solutions and solar-powered street carts for food vendors.

Written By: Keely Khoury