The RES industry as a whole is growing rapidly. Not only recycling of photovoltaic panels and wind turbines, but also additional services like solar panel cleaning, drone inspections, thermal imaging of photovoltaic installations and luminescence. Our research projects provide a better understanding of the operation and impact of recoverable energy sources on nature.
We have at our disposal algorithms perfectly capable of predicting yields, cloud computing capable of balancing biometeo data and creating very sophisticated energy projects and models. To stay abreast of and ahead of these changes, Lighthief is conducting a number of deployments and research projects.
A system for recovering pure silicon from photovoltaic panels in the course of recycling photovoltaic panels.
As silicon prices rise, its recovery is becoming more financially viable. Already the cost of obtaining pure silicon from photovoltaic panels is slowly becoming lower than the cost of mining it and, given the tonnage of photovoltaic panels produced and installed, the business is trending strongly upward. Lighthief is perfecting a method of separating silicon from EVA film and aims to obtain intact silicon plates that, once etched, can be reused to manufacture photovoltaic panels without having to go back to the beginning of production, which is the method.
The International Renewable Energy Agency estimates that by 2050. up to 78 million tons of raw materials recovered from photovoltaic panels could return to the world market.
Research on the impact of contaminants deposited on the surface of photovoltaic panels under harsh environmental conditions
In consortium with the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at Częstochowa University of Technology, Lighthief is conducting research projects. We are jointly engaged in studying the impact of pollution on the operation of photovoltaic farms in environmentally difficult areas (agricultural areas, mines, areas with high air pollution, poultry farm areas). There is very little research of this type in Europe and preliminary findings confirm the need for a change in thinking on the subject – solar panels should be cleaned regularly so that their efficiency does not decline.
Research on the use and recycling of windmills and wind turbines
Dismantling windmills is very expensive and there are few methods for recycling them, hence the deep market need for innovation. We are working on a system to dismantle and cut them on site without the need for specialized transportation. The material thus obtained is then processed into pellets, transported to a recycling station and recycled, gaining a second life – the process is fully environmentally friendly. To date, unfortunately, the main method of recycling windmill blades is to bury them in the ground.
Research on closed water circulation in the process of cleaning solar panels with demineralized water.
In the process of washing and cleaning solar panel cleaning we use large amounts of demineralized water . But what if its cycle was closed and the water running off the cleaned panels was effectively purified and then run through osmotic processes again? Then use it to clean more photovoltaic installations? Then solar panel cleaning processes would gain a whole new “green” dimension.
Research on lowering temperatures around photovoltaic installations through planned plantings.
Planting vegetation to lower the temperature across the plant and improve the efficiency of the photovoltaic system in some parts of the world is a fairly common practice. Within Europe, however, there is little research on the subject. At low cost, it is possible to lower temperature conditions on photovoltaic farms by planting the area around the installation with special vegetation selected for this purpose. Plants without causing any shading to the photovoltaic installation create a microclimate increase the yield of the photovoltaic farm by lowering the temperature at which it operates!
Check also:
Other services
Authorized representative for sellers of photovoltaic panels
Inspections of photovoltaic and wind farms from a drone
Investor audit due diligence- photovoltaic farms
Audits and diagnostics through thermal imaging
Reporting to BDO
Service of photovoltaic installations
