- The EU will fund the production of stick-on solar panels in France.
- The stick-on Panels can be installed directly on a roof surface.
- The panels are set to be deployed in Europe later this year.
Solar modules maker Maxeon Solar Technologies, a unit of US-based SunPower Corporation which TotalEnergies control, is set to receive EU funding to facilitate the production of its stick-on Maxeon Air solar panels.
While Maxeon is set to utilise the funds to produce the panels in its Porcelette factory in France, the amount to be provided by the EU is yet to be disclosed. The funds will be provided by the EU’s recently initiated Innovation Fund, which is set to make its first payments in Q4 2021. The Innovation Fund is financed through revenue generated from the EU’s emissions trading scheme – in which clean energy certificates are sold to companies who exceed their maximum permitted carbon emission
Maxeon Air solar panels are essentially solar panel stickers installed directly on a roof’s surface without racking, anchors, or ballast. According to producer Maxeon, the stickers can conform to uneven surfaces as they have no metal frames or heavy glass and are only 4 mm thick.
The weight of the Air solar panels is about 6 kg (13 pounds) per square meter, about 50 per cent lighter than conventional PV systems. The panels are set to be deployed in selected projects in Europe later this year.