Global Solar Energy, Inc., a manufacturer of high-efficiency Copper Indium Gallium diSelenide (CIGS) solar material, has moved into module sales.
The company unveiled its flexible building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) module this week, called the PowerFLEX™ BIPV. It is specially designed for commercial and industrial rooftops.
Since its founding in 1996, Global Solar has focused primarily on selling its CIGS cells to other companies for inclusion in a variety of applications including portable solar
chargers and traditional glass solar modules.
Now the company is taking its technology directly to the BIPV market. The lightweight modules are 0.5 meters wide and 5.75 meters long. They can be applied directly to a roofing surface,
requiring no mounting hardware, no roof penetrations, and creating no
additional wind load. Global solar says the large format and high power density (300W) will lower installation and balance of
system (BOS) costs.
Industry research is showing that the BIPV market is heating up. Lux Research reported that by 2013 the BIPV market will reach $5.7 billion.
Global Solar manufactures CIGS cells in Tucson, Arizona, and in Berlin, Germany.
