Solar energy is traditionally harnessed through photovoltaic or thermal technologies, with the former exhibiting among the largest growth rate of all renewable energy technologies, despite its conversion rate being limited to ∼20%.

As state-of-the-art single-junction solar cells approach their efficiency limits (~30%), more complex designs are being explored with significant implications on complexity and cost.

Solar Flow tackles the conversion efficiency challenge from an alternative perspective, enhancing efficiency without altering existing solar cell technology.

We are redefining solar energy utilization by seamlessly integrating multiple processes into a single device for full spectrum use and leveraging hidden synergies to unlock higher efficiencies than PV, solar thermal (hot water) and conventional PVT solutions.

Additionally, Solar Flow is extending solar energy applications well beyond electricity and heat generation: our multifunctional collectors meet diverse needs while maintaining enhanced supply of PV electricity at their core.

In conventional PVT panels, higher delivered fluid temperatures reduce electrical efficiency, restricting heat production to 40-50 °C for optimal power output.

Solar Flow’s award-winning panel design (2018 IChemE Global Award) offers a solution to this inherent trade-off: splitting the incident solar spectrum into heat-generating and electricity-generating constituents by selective filtration of the incident light.

Consequently, these components of the panel can be thermally decoupled, allowing considerably higher fluid temperatures without reducing cell efficiency.

This design efficiently generates heat at temperatures over 120 °C, while maintaining or enhancing the specific electrical efficiency especially in hot climates thanks to synergistic cooling of the PV cells.

• Double the temperature and higher electrical efficiency than existing PVT
• Low cost, non-concentrating design
• Resilient to variable solar and ambient conditions
• Max yield/min area, easy to install flat panels

Inspired by the biology of leaves, the Solar Leaf is a panel that simultaneously generates electricity, desalinated water, and heat from the same device and area.

It incorporates PV cells and an integrated bio-inspired transpiration cooling structure and is thus capable of generating electricity, while simultaneously and synergistically removing heat from the cells and utilizing this to thermally desalinate water and delivering excess heat if required.

The technology can be used in settings where it is desirable to generate renewable electricity, similar to PV, but also where freshwater is needed.

• Higher electrical efficiency than PV (10%)
• Ultra-pure freshwater generation
• Max yield/min area, easy to install flat panels
• Low cost, simple and benign materials

The multifunctional solar processor is the latest addition to Solar Flow’s offerings, and is currently under development. It is a combined renewable energy generator and in situ chemical reactor.

The device benefits from performance improvements enabled by both full solar-spectrum utilisation and synergies from direct process integration in a single component.

• Increased efficiency and reduced losses
• Waste heat recovery
• Chemical energy storage
• Synergies exploitation for enhanced production