And we can t take solar panels with us, orjust those glaring, large slabs isn t quite the look we re after. so i ve been to the homes of two british start ups who want you to look again. this is the solivus arc. its curves are wrapped in an organic solar film, which doesn t contain any toxic substances or rare earth materials that could require mining. and so, it has a much smaller carbon footprint than traditional panels. and that s not all. the arc is designed to capture sunlight throughout more of the day, and that s partly because it s got five surfaces on which to harvest energy. and this curved design means that it usually has a sweet spot, which is very useful at the start and the end of the day in particular. i think it looks quite futuristic, and if solar sculptures like this were to catch on, i could see
And he is also in talks with a london authority, which wants to fit them to council flats. so for this size of window, it would generate around 10%, 15% of your energy needs, and this is a three bedroom house. so, between a hot summer or a cool winter, the amount of energy you could generate would be probably about 10, 15% less during winter, compared to summer. so not much difference? not that much, no. and with this new solar film, it generates energy in cloudier climates compared to silicon panels. another good thing about solar film is that it s scalable. some places have more roof space than others, of course. so, for reasons of cost savings, as well as the environment, this rugby stadium has decided now is the time to cover its stands in a new, lightweight solar film. there is an estimated 2.5 billion square metres of south facing commercial
For conventional solar panels is about 33% whereas for this technology they can layer it with, in theory, as many layers as they want to choose different parts of the spectrum and capture overall more light coming in. despite this sunny outlook, today this solar film is only 8% efficient. with a10% version expected later this year. last year that may have been a problem, high initial costs have dogged solar as a cost effective option. until the maths changed. driven by supply issues, and fresh demand from a world recovering from a global pandemic, energy prices are surging. more than 50% in i a matter of minutes. and that was before many western nations imposed sanctions on russia s gas and oil, following its invasion of ukraine. with the uk s energy price cap lifting next week, many household bills are about to soar. from around 18p per kilowatt
And he is also in talks with a london authority, which wants to fit them to council flats. so for this size of window, it would generate around 10 15% of your energy needs, and this is a 3 bedroom house. so, between a hot summer or a cool winter, the amount of energy you could generate would be probably about 10, 15% less during winter compared to summer. so not much difference? not that much, no. and with this new solar film, it generates energy in cloudier climates compared to silicon panels. another good thing about solar film is that it s scalable. some places have more roof space than of course. so, for reasons of cost savings, as well as the environment, this rugby stadium has decided now is the time to cover its stands in a new, lightweight solar film. there is an estimated 2.5 billion square metres of south facing commercial
And we can t take solar panels with us, orjust those are glaring, large slabs isn t quite the look we re after. so i ve been to the homes of two british start ups who want you to look again. this is the solivus arc. its curves are wrapped in an organic solar film, which doesn t contain any toxic substances or rare earth materials that could require mining. and so, it has a much smaller carbon footprint than traditional panels. and that s not all. the arc is designed to capture sunlight throughout more of the day, and that s partly because it s got five surfaces on which to harvest energy. and this curved design means that it usually has a sweet spot, which is very useful at the start and the end of the day in particular.