Transforming Amazon Rooftops and More
Israeli company Apollo Power is set to disrupt the solar industry with its lightweight, flexible solar panels. Amazon’s French logistics center will feature 5,000 square meters of Apollo’s panels, while Volkswagen Group invests €33 million for a 10-year supply to charge electric vans.
The Innovation Journey
Apollo’s CEO, Oded Rozenburg, envisions a future where everyone opts for lightweight panels over heavy glass ones. The breakthrough came from Eran Maimon’s invention of a photovoltaic paint during his studies at Tel Aviv University, eliminating the need for fragile silicon wafers enveloped in heavy glass.
Flexible Panels: A Game Changer
Traditional solar panels use fragile silicon wafers, making them heavy, expensive, and limited in placement. Apollo’s lightweight, flexible panels, offering free energy collection, promise to change the solar landscape, providing durability and efficiency comparable to glass panels.
Apollo’s Global Impact
After perfecting the technology at Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Apollo’s fully automated 11,000-square-meter factory in Israel’s Carmel region is now the world’s largest flexible solar panel factory. The panels have received UL and IEC certification, allowing global grid connectivity.
Agrivoltaics and Future Growth
Beyond vehicles, Apollo’s panels find applications on industrial roofs, agricultural greenhouses, and military usage. The new Carmel factory, with a capacity to sell 350 million shekels worth of products annually, signifies Apollo’s significant growth and impact in the renewable energy sector.
Source：israel21c.org
