FutureVoltaics

More Power When it Matters

FutureVoltaics is a spin off of the Institute of Micro and Nanotechnology of the Spanish National Research Council.


We are developing VECTHOR, a new photovoltaic system optimised for winter and cloudy weather.


VECTHOR is based on vertical bifacial solar panels and specially designed reflectors.


Value proposition

Make photovoltaic solar energy more affordable and manageable by producing more power when needed the most.

More power in winter, early morning, late afternoon and cloudy days.




The problem we solve

Current photovoltaic systems tend to produce more power than needed at noon and to produce too little during winter. 

A market-ready technology is needed to flatten the solar energy production curve.


As more solar power is installed, the electricity supply becomes larger than demand during noon, reducing the value of electricity.

Our technology produces more power at times of high electricity price.

VECTHOR combines the best advantages of fixed tilt and tracking systems, and greatly imporves performance in cloudy weather.

The graphs shown above represent modelling data with real metereological data for Puertollano in La Mancha (Spain) assuming 95% reflectivity, 95% bifaciality, 3% soiling on the solar panels, and 10% soiling on the reflectors (we assume little or no cleaning for our system). The map below shows the energy yield advantage of VECTHOR over horizontal single axis trackers. The advantage over fixed tilt systems is not shown but ranges from 36% in Spain to 50% in Netherlands.

The graphs below are two recent representative examples of experimental data from our latest prototype. The data were collected in Tres Cantos (Spain) the 28th of February 2022 (top) and the 15th of May 2022 (bottom).

Our current prototypes have ample room for improvement as they are currently limited by a low bifaciality factor (70%) and a low reflectivity (72%).  The asymmetry in the hourly production curve, with lower production in the afternoon, is caused by the low bifaciality of the solar panels used in our current prototype. The latest prototype will be upgraded shortly to 90% bifaciality and 90% reflectivity. Maximum power is limited by Inverter clipping in both the reference fixed tilt system and the prototype system.


How we do it

VECTHOR stands for VErtical CollecTor with HOrizontal Reflectors. Our patent pending design is based on vertical bifacial solar panels and specially designed reflectors to maintain optimal irradiance on the solar panels at all times without using trackers or any moving parts.

We have a minimum viable product (MVP) ready for small scale commercialisation. This MVP is based on several prototypes currently operating in our research center. The current performance being demonstrated by our prototypes is comparable to that of single axis trackers (slightly more in winter and slightly less in summer), but with ample room for improvement as the reflectors we are currently using have a reflectivity of 73% (up to 95% is feasible), the bifaciality of the solar panels is 70% (100% is possible), and the reflectors used in our prototypes do not have the optimal optical design due to current fabrication constraints.


Our advantages

- Higher yearly energy yield.

- Lower energy cost, higher return on investment.

- More production when electricity is most valuable:

• Cloudy days.

• Winter sunny days.

• Early morning and late afternoon.

• Less curtailment

• Less need for storage

- Less maintenance and longer service life-time:

• No moving parts. Less maintenance than trackers.

• Less UV exposure, less encapsulant degradation.

• Improved radiative and convective cooling.

- Reduced heat island effect.

Team

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