After more than 25 years of research, Swedish startup Epishine launched a very different solar cell this year. They call it a light cell and it is millimetre-thin, flexible, based on organic electronics, and made with printing technology, optimised for ambient indoor light.
— An electronic device that today is powered by small batteries that last for a year or more can, thanks to our light cell, be powered by ordinary indoor light, says Mattias Josephson, co-founder and VP business development.
Applications that can be powered by an integrated light cell are, among many other things, sensors (for temperature, humidity, smoke, motion, open/closed, or more), electronic locks, shelf labels, keyboards, remote controls, and toys.
— Many people find the battery changes in their smoke alarms annoying. Can you imagine regularly replacing batteries in temperature sensors in each room, magnetic contacts in all windows and doors, lamp switches, and electronic locks? Our solution makes all these battery changes unnecessary while saving the environment from large amounts of disposable batteries.
Only months after the market entry, Epishine has continuously attracted great interest from electronics manufacturers all around the world. They’ve also signed a distribution agreement with Farnell / Newark, a global distributor of electronic components, as well as partnered with Computer Controls, a Swiss IT distribution house with an international reputation.
Recently, the startup received an €8 million investment, where solar energy investment company AxSol became the largest individual shareholder.
— We are at the beginning of a global technology shift where, thanks to this issue, we can accelerate the work of becoming a market leader in printed solar cells — an area where we will see increasingly large-scale applications. In the future, they will be used in large solar power plants as even more climate-friendly solar cells than traditional ones made of silicon, and they can also be used as a thin smart surface on building materials, sails, cars, and similar, Josephson concludes.
This is #12 on our list with 25 Innovations for better living from Scandinavian MIND Issue 2
1. Here’s the first furniture brand to publish their climate footprint
2. Unique Bio2 textile can make a change in our polluted world
3. Patented technology can turn the eyewear industry circular
4. Filtration technology saves you from hidden pollution at home
5. This Swedish collective launches line with skincare for objects
6. Powder to liquid wash can change personal care as we know it
7. This household product line cleans with all-natural sugar surfactants
8. Spinnova’s textile fibre might be the world’s most groundbreaking
9. Here’s how AI can be used to create your ultimate personal scent
10. Design brand Verk takes local production one — big — step further
11. CAKE is here to challenge the status quo for motorbikes
13. Revolutionary reusable sanitary protection is about to hit the market
14. A green version of the super-material graphene transforms the industry
15. Groundbreaking recyling app teams up with the world’s leading brands
