Mirai Solar, a U.S.-based specialized module manufacturer and spinoff of Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), has certified its novel 115 W solar shade module with TüV Rheinland.
The proprietary design is a foldable, glass-free module with vacuum-laminated solar cells on lightweight flexible polymeric sheets. It was developed for new greenhouses and as a retrofit for greenhouses that already have a retractable shade screen setup.
“This panel was designed to deliver 60% shading and 40% light transmission, which is a very common value among shading screens for greenhouses, and a level of shading that is often requested by our customers,” Michael Salvador, Mirai Solar CEO, told pv magazine. He noted that the “shading level is adjusted via the cell density,” which is about 50%.
The IEC 61215 and IEC 61730 certified module, dubbed NinjaYonin-115-25/48, features crystalline silicon back contact solar cells. It weighs 1.5 kg per m2, measures 2,500 mm x 480 mm x 2 mm, and is equipped with Stäubli connectors. Its maximum radius of curvature is 500 mm, with a maximum design load of 1600 pa, an open circuit voltage of 23.34 V, and a short circuit current of 6.07 A.
The company has at least eight active pilot agrivoltaics installations with leafy green, tomatoes, vineyards, and algae, according to Michele De Bastiani, Mirai Solar R&D Director. Two of the pilots are in California, one in Germany, four in Saudi Arabia, and one in Missouri. Some of the demonstrations are with commercial growers, while others are at research sites.
“Cumulatively, we have installed more than 150 kW. The largest installation is a 50 kW site in California,” said Salvador, adding that the company has a “working and scalable” solution for greenhouses, while it is also developing and validating with partners a an open field solution. There are plans to demonstrate at a scale of 1 MW, which will require about 2 acres.
Lately, the company modified its technology for use atop a lightweight canopy-style carport at the KAUST campus. For example, a 3 kW system was integrated with energy storage to provide power to charge electric golf carts without requiring structural changes to the carport. “We offered this as a drop-in solution, including a battery-powered charging station,” said Salvador.
Mirai Solar, founded in 2019, has been able to tap into commercialization support from U.S. and Middle East and North Africa (MENA) startup incubators, such as the American Made Solar Prize, Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator, the Fresh Field Catalyst by the International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA), and the Mega Green Accelerator, a startup company initiative of PepsiCo, SABIC, and partners active in MENA.
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Now, combine that with automatic agriculture machines mounted on the solar panel supports and you’ve got real agriculture automation!