We have now installed 1.6 terawatts of photovoltaic capacity worldwide, with 400 gigawatts added just last year. This means expansion is continuing to accelerate! In Germany alone, there was a 100 percent increase from 2022 to 2023! These are incredibly important steps for the energy transition, but of course, photovoltaics also have some disadvantages. Such as the weight of the modules, the need for critical raw materials, a dependence on other countries for production, and the fact that you simply can’t install them everywhere.
THE GOOD NEWS: There is a solution for these problems: Organic Photovoltaic (OPV) panels. They are made of carbon, are highly sustainable, do not require critical raw materials, and can be installed almost anywhere because they are extremely lightweight!
In this video, we’ll explain how this type of photovoltaics works, what the advantages and disadvantages are, and whether this is a solar energy revolution or more of a niche product.
This video was created by my editorial team. Responsible from the editorial team: Tabea Desch, Jacob Beautemps; Editing: Romy Gruetter, Aron Kamenz, Sören Rensch, Neo Sanjuan Thiele.
Chapters:
00:00 Solar Power is Getting Huge
01:11 Silicon Solar Modules
04:28 Organic Solar Modules
09:26 Advantages
12:12 The BIG Hurdle
13:47 Conclusion
Sources:
Source 1: https://www.energieforschung.de/de/aktuelles/news/2024/weltweit-400-gigawatt-neu-installierte-photovoltaikleistung-in-2023
Source 2: https://www.forschung-und-lehre.de/forschung/organische-photovoltaik-im-kommen-5667
Source 3: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Abbildung-11-Wichtige-konjugierte-Polymere-a-PolyAcetylen-PA-b-Polyp-Phenylen_fig1_36449806
Source 4: https://www.chemie.de/news/1172753/neuartiges-polymer-kann-leistung-von-organischen-und-perowskit-solarzellen-steigern.html
Source 5: https://www.ise.fraunhofer.de/content/dam/ise/de/documents/publications/studies/aktuelle-fakten-zur-photovoltaik-in-deutschland.pdf
Source 6: https://www.energieforschung.de/de/aktuelles/projekteinblicke/2021/dreifachsolarzellen-erreichen-rekordwirkungsgrad
Source 7: https://go.readly.com/magazines/58f76c65d9e840222b000042/65f05766e2b2ca7fe8ae6094/87
Source 8: https://www.umsicht.fraunhofer.de/de/projekte/entsorgung-photovoltaik-backsheets.html
Source 9: https://photovoltaik.org/montage/installation/gewicht#c1528
Source 10: https://www.enpal.de/photovoltaik/gewicht
Source 11: https://www.faz.net/aktuell/wirtschaft/unternehmen/metro-logistikzentrum-auf-dem-dach-wird-sehr-viel-strom-erzeugt-19183216.html
Source 12: https://www.heise.de/hintergrund/Gewerbedaecher-Verschenkter-Platz-fuer-Photovoltaik-8994334.html
Source 13: https://www.wiwo.de/technologie/umwelt/tracking-der-energiewende-31-darum-bleibt-das-groesste-solar-potenzial-noch-ungenutzt/29087076.html
Source 14: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/piuz.201301322
Source 15: https://www.ise.fraunhofer.de/de/presse-und-medien/news/2023/weltrekord-fuer-organische-solarzelle-auf-einem-quadratzentimeter-mit-15-prozent.html
Source 16: https://www.heliatek.com/de/produkte/heliasol/
Source 17: https://portal.uni-koeln.de/universitaet/aktuell/koelner-universitaetsmagazin/unimag-einzelansicht/die-sonne-einfangen
Source 18: https://www.ise.fraunhofer.de/de/forschungsprojekte/adapt.html
Source 19: https://www.ise.fraunhofer.de/de/presse-und-medien/news/2024/skalierbare-perowskit-silizium-solarzelle-mit-31-komma-6-prozent-wirkungsgrad-entwickelt.html
Source 20: https://publica-rest.fraunhofer.de/server/api/core/bitstreams/282bf28d-722c-4e13-9246-052cc3759ed4/content
Source 21: https://www.ise.fraunhofer.de/de/forschungsprojekte/organaut.html
New science and technology videos every week! We show innovations that make our world better and point the way to our future. The videos are made in Germany, but the topics are from all over the world.
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