Netherlands-based Mito Solar, a custom PV module manufacturer, is now offering bespoke colored solar panels for specialized applications, such as yachts and vehicles.
Its colored modules are made using a colored front-side encapsulant made of thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO). A wide range of colors: blue, green, grey, gold, and terracotta are available.
“Our solar panels that have been produced with this colored encapsulant create an ideal optical layer that can integrate perfectly into applications like automobiles and yachts, where aesthetics is important,” Jules van Haaren, co-owner of Mito Solar, told pv magazine.
The encapsulant material is sourced from Austria-based Lenzing Plastics. It is used as a drop-in replacement for the clear encapsulant typically used to make solar panels, according to the company. No other process changes are needed.
“This makes it easy to offer colored solar panels for applications where a seamless visual integration is important, like on yachts and vehicles,” the manufacturer said.
The encapsulant color technology is not based on the use of dyes or pigments, rather it is structural, so-called low-loss interference coloring, which splits incoming light into different wavelengths like a prism.
Only specific wavelengths are reflected to create visible color. The rest of the light, especially the part needed by the solar cell to generate electricity, passes through.
The method permits modules to appear to be vibrantly colored without using pigments, and with only a small effect on energy output, according to the manufacturer.
The tradeoff is that due to the reliance on reflected light, the perceived coloring may be different than pigment-based systems, and not all of the color standard coding system values (CMYK or RAL) can be matched exactly.
As for the effect on performance, the company offers some advice. Darker colors lead to less efficiency loss, while brighter tones like terracotta or bright gold can result in slightly higher reflection losses. “On average, modules reportedly retain over 90% of their original efficiency and in more demanding color cases, at least 80%, depending also on the type of cover glass used,” it explained.
Founded in 2019, Mito Solar offers performance-enhancing films for solar panels, waterproofing films, and a range of standard and flexible modules based on high-efficiency back-contact solar cells, typically made for vehicles, yachts, and innovative aerospace applications.
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