A new type of indoor solar panel makes it possible to create devices with an infinite battery. They already produce it in Sweden.

Every year, 3.1 billion batteries are thrown away…from TV remotes alone. Making our devices charge themselves (from sunlight, artificial light or candles) will free us from having to plug them in or change batteries, but it will also make them much more environmentally friendly.

Exeger Powerfoil’s Promise. Swedish company Exeger has developed flexible photovoltaic cells that promise to change our relationship with electronics: they specialize in converting light from virtually all indoor sources into electricity.

Its creators compare the technology that can use candlelight to algae at the bottom of the sea, where there is almost complete darkness: “we can use just a few photons very efficiently.”

“The biggest progress since 1988.” Although photovoltaic cells have been used in devices such as calculators for more than 50 years, this is “the biggest advance since 1988,” says Giovanni Fili, co-founder of Exeger.

This refers to the year that researchers at the University of California discovered how to produce inexpensive, flexible cells. But they were too fragile and ineffective to integrate into complex electronic devices such as Bluetooth headphones.

New type of electrode. Feeley and his partner Henrik Lindström have patented a new material that is a thousand times more conductive than conventional electrodes (the component that allows electrical current to be collected and transported in a photovoltaic cell).

In addition to being flexible, this leather-like material is resistant to water, dust and shock, making it suitable for use in modern electronic devices.

We have a long way to go. The white paper lowers expectations. Currently, Powerfoyle cells produce voltages ranging from 0.57 to 0.6 V when exposed to light ranging from 100 to 1000 lux (LED light with a color temperature of 5000K). Output power ranges from 6 to 54 microwatts per square centimeter.

Part of the problem is that the material creates significant shading, which reduces its effectiveness. Exeger admits that Powerfoyle is still not enough to stop charging a smartphone again, but they can increase its battery life by 50%.

They are already mass-produced. Exeger has been working on this invention for years and already has the capacity to produce 2.5 million square meters of Powerfoyle film per year, which is printed on a “top secret” machine.

The first generation is already ready to hit the market in products such as headphones, wireless speakers and bicycle helmets. His clients include Philips, Marshall, Kapsch and Adidas. The company hopes to somehow reach a billion people by 2030.

Image | Exeger

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