The application of nanopaste integrated into translucent solar panels, according to the German-Spanish company Sana Energy, turns the roof of a greenhouse into a source to generate electricity. The company recently launched the idea of converting part of the 32,500 hectares of greenhouses in Almería into a solar farm.
In other words, the plastic in the greenhouses will be a huge photovoltaic panel. Work is being done with a German multinational to determine the class of polycarbonate polymers that are lighter and more resistant to ultraviolet rays. Director Javier Celdran provided the following technical details.
“Even with diffuse light we can produce electricity, without the need for the sun’s rays to fall perpendicularly on the plastic. We do all the installation at no cost to the producer, we rent the roof of the greenhouse, since our business is to sell the electricity generated.”
“Another option would be to sell the greenhouse roof prepared with nano-paste to the producer and he himself could sell or self-consume the electricity. We have an electrochromatic paste, which, depending on the voltage applied, becomes more or less transparent. The producer can regulate the amount of light according to the demands of the crop.”
Electrical energy can be transferred to the grid, used in desalination facilities on the coast or used in a large green hydrogen generation park, thanks to being able to download, store and transport the energy produced through greenhouses. Mr. Celdran also mentioned his batteries that store energy. “They are solid state, do not require lithium, cobalt, rare earths or heavy minerals and are 100% recyclable.”
Sana Energy is planning the creation of a gigafactory in Almería for the production of solar panels and batteries for the agricultural environment. The investment in this infrastructure would be 305 million euros to produce a gigafactory that actively contributes to the sustainability and conservation of our environment. In Germany, a demo-factory is being worked on as a model for the start-up of this factory in Almería.
