New proprietary solar panel technology that generates as much energy as existing solar PV panel technology at 10-15% less cost of energy (even more saving in some applications).
It offers enhanced mechanical strength, anti-slip, anti-glare, and anti-scratch properties which extend the use of solar energy to new applications not possible by existing solar panel technology such as railroads (e.g., between rails), and lightly-used walkable outdoor spaces, airport spaces (e.g., large empty spaces between runways and apron), and floating solar walkways/pedestrian bridges.
It is also cheaper and easier (thus very competitive) for other applications such as building-integrated photovoltaic systems (BIPV), floating solar farms, flat rooftops (e.g., gas stations/car sheds), Marine vessel decks, Rooftops of buses and RVs, refrigeration truck fleets, and irrigation systems.
Solar panels need to be mounted on tilted frames to face the sun and harvest more incident solar energy. But can you imagine tilted solar panels placed on rail tracks, on a “usable” rooftop space, on a walkable pavement, on top of a marine vessel deck, or on top of an RV/bus/truck trailer? It is just not possible, but you may ask: well, why not just place them horizontally?
That’s exactly what all others do. But there is a price you pay: you harvest 15-20% less energy from the sun, and hence you end up paying a higher price for the harvested energy! And yeah, they will break up when someone steps on top of them, their glare will disturb bypassers, and will blind train drivers or pilots in an airport, etc
What SUNPave’s technology offers is a rigid sturdy panel that is placed horizontally on surfaces or vertically on walls but can still harvest the same amount of solar energy tilted PV panel tracking the sun can. So, what does this lead to?
- A solution tailored to new mechanically-demanding applications (not possible by existing technologies).
- More efficient solar energy harvesting.
- A serious competitor to existing PV panel technology in many of its traditional and emerging applications.
But why is SUNPave technology able to do so?
- No costly/bulky tracking mechanisms required.
- No tilting mounting structures/frames required.
- No inter-row shading (Thus, smaller system area).
- Entirely glare-free.
- Easier and cheaper to clean.
- Self-orientation toward the sun.
- All above feeds into a lower cost of electricity generated than existing PV panel technology (quicker payback).
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2022 Sustainable Technologies/Future Energy Category Winner -
2022 Top 100 Entries
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ABOUT THE ENTRANT
- Name:Muhammad Rashad
- Type of entry:teamTeam members:The team is a group of electrical and mechanical engineers, of which three Ph.D. holders with deep scientific knowledge and direct expertise in the field. In addition to technology freaks with hands-on experience that stays overnight in fabrication labs, Rashad and Abdelhamid have previous business backgrounds and co-founded other companies in the past. Abdelhamid particularly has extensive business experience.
Here is a summary of SUNPave’s team:
Abdelhamid (the only non-technical team member), is also Ph.D. in electrical engineering from IMEC/Belgium, with MSc in Embedded Systems EThz/Swiss, also worked as a teacher of hardware design in many universities before switching to finance/business/management. He is now leading the business operations of SUNPave.
Al Gammal Started providing product design and development services through DesignHouse, the firm he founded in 2007. He also won two international automotive design competitions and had been accepted twice in Qatar Science & Technology Park’s accelerator program and received multiple awards and funds. He is leading the mechanical product designs.
Azmy has strong research and publication records in the field of sustainable electric systems (solar and wind in particular). He attracted research funding and contributed to a number of academic research and product development projects. He developed a strong network of professional contacts across academic and industrial sectors in MENA and in Europe. He is leading our electrical design and IPR protection process.
Rashad has participated in several projects related to alternative energy some of which are: design implementation of a fully operated solar Stirling unit, design, and manufacturing of parabolic collector with 2 axes solar tracking mechanism, and a parabolic trough with a single-axis solar tracking mechanism and was the co-founder and CEO of Aquila CNC systems. He is leading the onsite tests, implementations, and operations.
Kader is a current Ph.D. Candidate and a TA at Mathematics and Engineering Physics Department in Alexandria University where he received his B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering. He is also the current Head of Programs Management at Knowledge Officer Ltd. He is leading the Logistics and Supply Chain, necessary for tests.
Hend worked as a digital fabrication lab specialist as a part of Egypt makes electronics innovation hub project. She is responsible for the O&M of several CNC machines. She is performing the mechanical tests and leading the assessment of the product's efficiency.
Azza has previously worked on various research projects in power electronics in developing smart grids as a part of her M.Sc. degree at the Arab Academy for Science Technology & Maritime Transport. She is performing the electrical tests and leading the assessment of the product performance. - Software used for this entry:Fusion 360
- Patent status:patented