Thin, flexible film converts light into clean energy

The panels are ultra lightweight and can be used both vertically and horizontally, bringing endless opportunities to the transportation industry

Spotted: Florida-based, zero-carbon organic energy company GO-OPV has created a thin film that can capture any light and convert it to clean energy. The technology, which is has been named ORENgE, is said to be a more efficient way to produce energy than traditional solar panels.

ORENgE is semi-transparent and integrates to any surface, like building facades, home siding, tractor-trailers, park benches and more. The panels are thin, flexible, ultra-lightweight, and can be used both vertically and horizontally – something solar can’t do. Thanks to its flexibility, ORENgE can also be applied to tractor-trailers and semis, unlike fragile silicon panels.

Unlike solar power, which is dependent on sunlight, organic energy can use any form of light to produce power — whether it’s indoor, low, or diffused. The film is printed from organic ink and made from organic material, making it “the greenest option among all alternative, renewable power sources” says the company.

GO-OPV manufactures their film through Sunew, a Brazilian supplier based in Belo Horizonte. The film is made by printing organic ink onto plastic rolls at the facility. The roll is then sent to the United States, where it is manufactured into the specific application needed for customers. 

“We can build a platform of energy that doesn’t exist currently. And the base for the whole technology is an organic, transparent, lightweight film that can be 100 per cent recyclable,” said Felipe Travesso, COO of GO-OPV.

ORENgE also represents the advantage of being significantly cost-competitive, given that organic energy power is delivered onsite, saving the cost of transmission lines and distribution lines.

The technology is already being used in South America, as PepsiCo’s Brazil distribution centres have been working with the power technology for stand-by charging systems, interior lights and onboard printing.

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