A new cost-effective three-dimensional solar cell with a more efficient output than current rivals has been patented in Bahrain, with production scheduled to start in early to mid-2024.
Designed and invented by Bahrain-based German renewable energy technology specialist Thomas Wittig, the new 3D Photovoltaic Panel looks set to revolutionise the sector.
It is claimed that the new panels need half the land requirements as opposed to conventional solar panels. “It took a long time to get to this,” Mr Wittig told the GDN.
“It has been a long and complicated process, but we came up with a design that ultimately was simple yet efficient. A lot of work was gone into it and I’m confident it will now bear fruit.”
The 56-year-old Mainz-born entrepreneur has 34 years’ worth of experience in solar panel development, dating back to 1989. He started his own company alongside his father in Stuttgart, then operated in Italy for eight years before moving to Bahrain after joining Saudi-based Aramco in 2014.
In 2018 he set up Wittig Solar Bahrain, a scientific research and development laboratory for design and engineering of solar off-grid power plants, solar/hydrogen storage systems, solar street lights and solar sun tracking systems.
After nine years of painstaking project development he came up with the newly-patented pioneering process and design and officially started working on it in April. “We then filed the patent in May, and the rest as they say, is now history!” he said.
The three-dimensional photovoltaic cell produces more than double the yield of the traditional flat-type panels with a pyramid shape allowing a maximum light trapping effect with minimum resistance.
With a maximum output of 1,430Wp, the panel contains 132 monocrystalline cells and weighs just over 39kg.
Now with the prototypes operational, Mr Wittig is looking to move on to the next stage of development, with plans to manufacture the cells in Bahrain. “We’re going through all the necessary processes and getting the required certification,” he said.
“I hope to start the manufacturing process sometime around the first quarter of 2024. It depends on investors and funding, but we have made 303 samples as a pilot project and we hope to use them to secure further investment. The aim is to reach maximum production capacity gradually over a period of two years.”
Mr Wittig also said that the panels could be a further opportunity for Bahrain to become a recognised base and exporter of green energy solutions. “First we will sell them in Bahrain, but we won’t stop there,” he said. “Saudi Arabia will be our next target, then the whole of the GCC, then we will expand to other countries. The aim, of course, is to help create jobs for Bahrainis and contribute to the economy.”
Mr Wittig added that although the new option may initially be slightly more expensive than traditional solar panels the extra output, efficiency, lower installation and land cost savings will make them ultimately more attractive.
nader@gdnmedia.bh
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