 |
Photovoltaics
|
A clean, abundant and sustainable energy source
Solar radiation is a clean and renewable energy source that already has many industrial and domestic thermal applications, especially for heating buildings and as a source of hot water production.
The use of solar energy is now expanding greatly, in terms of its photovoltaic application, which makes it possible to convert it into electricity.
Thanks to the sun, our planet constantly receives a quantity of energy approximately equal to ten thousand times our global consumption of energy, all sources combined. Unlike traditional energies, solar energy does not generate any greenhouse gas emissions or long-lived waste.
Constant growth
With global installed power at around 10,000 Mw, photovoltaic electricity presently represents less than 1% of the world’s electricity production, but its production capacities are growing at the rate of 40% each year.
Arkema’s materials optimize the efficiency of photovoltaic cells and protect their silicon and their electrical circuits
Arkema’s Kynar® PVDF, used in manufacturing the films that make up the back layer of the cells, brings together several characteristics that are essential for the longevity and efficiency of photovoltaic cells: ease of implementation, resistance to humidity and to temperature fluctuations, stability of the white color that contributes to reflecting the light toward the silicon.
Arkema’s Evatane® technical polymers, high vinyl acetate-content vinyl acetate ethylene resins, provide for the adhesion and effective protection of the silicon and the electrical circuits. Reticulated via Luperox® organic peroxides, they are characterized by excellent transparency and enable long-term productivity of the photovoltaic cell.
Ever more innovative materials for the photovoltaic cells of the future
Arkema is working to develop and perfect innovative materials that will open the way to the design of more efficient photovoltaic cells, especially by increasing their output and reducing their production costs. Through the use of new polymers and nanostructured materials, the percentage of actual utilization of captured solar energy is expected to rise from 15% today to 40% in the next few years.
