Heliatek Installs PV Films on Duisburger Hafen

Approximately 185 sq m of Heliatek’s organic photovoltaic films were installed on the warehouse of Duisburger Hafen AG, the operator of the world’s largest inland port.

World’s largest façade installed with organic photovoltaics in the port of Duisburg. Courtesy of Heliatek.

As a subproject within the Drehkreuz Energiewende cooperation agreement, which was established between the Duisburger Hafen AG and the energy company innogy in 2016, the trial installation has 192, 3-m-long HeliaSol film panels, making it the largest facade installation to date with organic photovoltaics.

HeliaSol is a lightweight, thin, flexible solar film produced in an energy-efficient, roll-to-roll process in Germany. Equipped with a self-adhesive backing, the film can be applied directly to a variety of surfaces without further assembly efforts, and without affecting the structure underneath. With the project in Duisburg, the solar films were glued directly onto the metal facade of the warehouse. Ventilation or cooling is not necessary as the films do not lose power or efficiency at high temperatures, unlike crystalline solar technology. The solar films cover an area of approximately 185 sq m and generate about as much energy as a five-person household would consume annually.

Duisburger Hafen aims to position itself as a major hub for the energy transition.