Can you imagine solar array turn into a rollable solar panel? Renovagen, a renewable energy company, recently made the dream come true. The company designed a high power PV array that rolls out like a carpet – the Roll-Array. This flexible and easy-to-transport instant microgrid has the capacity to bring alternative energy to places we never thought possible.
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The Roll-Array is easily towable by a standard 4×4 vehicle, such as a Land Rover. When connected to the back of the car, the flexible solar panels are pulled out of a spool and create ground cover in a matter of minutes. On their website, Renovagen claims the panels will be able to generate up to 100kWp – 10 times more power than other transportable solar panels on the market today.
Not only is this new technology installed quickly, but the fuel cost saving during transportation is noteworthy. The tightly wound solar spools can be carried by the 4×4 vehicle attached to a small air pallet trailer in tow, which eliminates the need for large diesel generators.
According to Renovagen, a standard rigid solar field takes 22 hours of man-power to install, while the thin, flexible sheets roll out in just 2 minutes. Once spread onto the ground, the panels can be bolted or staked to withstand winds of over 80 mph. After just five minutes of installation by two people, the panels are ready to generate solar power. Batteries and inverters are attached to the base of the panels.
This ingenious development is of course ideal for large areas of flat ground, such as remote camps or military bases. They also have the potential to provide instant energy in areas hit by natural disasters. “It is like a microgrid in a box. It has all of the components integrated into it that you need to run a 24 hour microgrid,” said John Hingley, CEO of Renovagen.
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Renovagen is now crowd-funding for the Roll-Array on Crowdcube.
Source: inhabitat