MISSION & VISION
Biosphere Solar works on a world where the circular and fair solar panels are the norm in the PV industry. To this end we are developing new design standards for the PV industry. We envision a world where solar energy and biodiversity regeneration are brought together, and the use of open-source PV module design enables rapid and resilient developments. This vision is guiding us to the development of an open-source, circular, and fair solar module. Our aim is to provide the knowledge and technology necessary to help the solar industry transition towards more sustainable designs and business models.
OUR STORY
MAY 2022
PROTOTYPE V0.3
The third iteration of our prototype was released, including process improvements, encapsulation improvements and various cell types.
APR 2022
CLEANTECH CHALLENGE
Biosphere Solar wins the Dutch CleanTech Challenge, allowing the team to go to the global finals in May.
MAY 2022
OFFICE & WORKSPACE
A new workspace and office is opened at Staalweg 1, Delft, the Netherlands. This is where prototyping and development is centered
FEB 2022
MAKERSPACE DELFT
Collaboration with the open Makerspace Delft begins, where prototype V0.3 will be developed.
NOV 2021
GREEN VILLAGE PILOT
The Green Village of TU Delft grants Biosphere Solar access to their grounds to allow for a pilot project and field testing of an array of PV modules
AUG 2021
ZUID-HOLLAND PROVINCE FUNDING
The province of Zuid-Holland confirms funding for the testing and development of the Biosphere Solar PV module
JUL 2021
PROTOTYPE V0.2
The second prototype of Biosphere Solar’s circular and fair PV module design is developed as a research project in collaboration with TU Delft
MAR 2021
IMPACT CONTEST 2021
Biosphere Solar joins the 2021 Impact Contest in the ideation category and wins first place, receiving funding and coaching.
NOV 2020
FOUNDING
Biosphere Solar is officially founded in the Netherlands
OCT 2020
V0.1
The first prototype of a repairable, modular solar panel is developed as a proof-of-concept.
CIRCULARITY
Circularity means more than simply recycling. To bring about circularity means redesigning solar panels in a modular way to enable repair, upgrade, and refurbisment. As many are now also coming to realise, circularity is holistic, and adressing the human rights aspects (‘fair’) of solar panels is also crucial. As such, we aim to source all our materials from ‘fair’ supply chains.
A NEW STANDARD
To bring about a change and have large scale impact, we aim to enable a global, smart, and distributed network of manufacturing and maintenance sites. By simplifying (re)manufacturing we offer a new way to scale, and make sure all materials and components stay in the loop. This way, we are bringing about the age of circularity and open-source hardware in the PV industry.
SOLAR WASTE
With the exponential growth of solar panel installations comes an exponential growth in solar panel waste. This waste comes in the form of polymers, glass, metals, precious materials, etc. Due to the lamination of solar panels, it is currently impossible to extract solar-grade silicon from solar panels. This downgrading causes unnecessary environmental and economic damage.
THE TEAM
The Biosphere Solar team exists of engineers, designers and sustainable business developers. If you are interested in joining the team, please get in touch!
PARTNERS
Biosphere Solar is supported by the TU Delft and Leiden University, as well as The Green Village, Delft Open Hardware and Provincie Zuid-Holland. We are open for industry partnerships that will help us develop our proposition in a user-centered way. Please get in touch if you would like to know more.