Wednesday, March 8.
Telephone from VTM.

The European commission wants much more green energy to be produced in Europe itself. Whether they could come and film at SOLTECH for the 7 p.m. news.

Well…
Yes…
Gladly!
Right?

Only that the message we had to deliver didn’t quite match the message we wanted to deliver.
We waren ooit met 300, nu máár met 25.
We willen geld, want daarzonder kunnen we het niet.
Niks over de toekomst.
Niks over meerwaardepanelen.
Niks over zonnepaneelpotentieel.
En al helemaal niks over wat wél al kan.

Of course, we understand that VTM has a context within which they are looking for a reportage.
And that the message we help proclaim in that regard is also important.
So hey… we were prime time on Flemish television. The SOLTECH name and the technology of Integrated PhotoVoltaics got a boost. Just not quite the way we would like it to be.

Judge for yourself…
And above all…
Read what we actually wanted to tell you.
(below the video)

Our opinion

SOLTECH believes very strongly that PV panel production should be brought back to Europe.
We were dependent on Russian gas and now we are dependent on Chinese panels and cells.

In any case, it is important that we produce value-added panels because the large volumes still come from China.
The production costs due to labor, energy and material costs are much higher here. We are arming ourselves by automating, betting on customization and just-in-time delivery to the job site.

A number of private investors and LRM and NUHMA have together raised 10 million to build a completely new production plant in Genk.
We are moving in mid-June.
The capacity of the new plant will eventually be at least 5 times higher than the current production in Tienen.
Our plant in Genk will be self-sufficient.

We create the added value, on the one hand, by adding an aesthetic aspect to the panels.
On the other by looking at integrating solar cells into existing materials. Solar panel potential, we call it.
Instead of putting Chinese panels on roofs or valuable land, we can perfectly turn any existing surface into an energy supplier.
We are thinking of squares, facades, cars, carports, balcony fences … but soon also flexible surfaces.

In addition, we are really concerned about the fact that we are still dependent on China for solar cells.
We are really already noticing the effects of this.
We can sell panels all we want, if we don’t have cells to make them, we’re still in trouble.
Especially if China sees the demand for cells increasing, they will undoubtedly start protecting their market.

We have a lot of knowledge in Europe and Belgium.
We also already get European support to do scientific research.
IMEC is really the knowledge center par excellence when it comes to cell technology, interconnection technology and modules.
Within SOLTECH, there is a great deal of knowledge about integrating solar cells.
So effectively laminating the cells onto a carrier.
We also have our own R&D department within SOLTECH.
If the two come together, even with our aesthetic integrated panels, we can eventually deliver a better yield than standard panels can now.

Thereby, the prices are really competitive with the price of, say, a facade cladding plus the price of the equivalent traditional solar panels.
In addition, the facade itself will also have a payback period. So we do know very well what the impact of European production will be on the consumer price and it is not that bad.
If we then consider the other benefits such as independence, employment, innovation and strength , the European story becomes a win-win for everyone.
Also for the consumer.

But in addition to scientific research , we must of course also market the products.
Our technology is still very much in the innovative sphere while it can actually be applied in a very responsible way both in terms of production and economically.
We find that we have to market not only SOLTECH, but IPV – as we call it – integrated photovoltaics as a technology.
As a company, this is quite a task and sometimes it feels like fighting a losing battle.
If the government could raise some kind of awareness within the construction sector, but also within the public sector, to do more with the solar panel potential than is currently available, we would already be one step further.

We can only welcome if Europe wants to invest to become less dependent on China when it comes to solar panels.
Because we have our feet in a mainly Chinese sector, we also see very well the pitfalls that are there right now.
In Europe, we should not only focus on PV panel production.
We should also bring cell production back to Europe.

Production here is done with much lower CO2 emissions.
Transportation is also much more environmentally friendly because there is a much shorter distance to travel.
Our new products will replace existing building parts in the construction process, instead of the building being ‘clad’ with (Chinese) PV panels after completion.
This adds value to the value chain in Flemish construction. Less use of materials means less CO2 emissions and lower costs.

Projects with a touch of SOLTECH