Solar film installed on a PVC-based membrane air dome

15th January 2015

Heliatek GmbH

Siobhan O'Gorman

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Together with PARANET Germany, Heliatek has been successfully installed its solar film, HeliaFilm, on a PVC-based membrane air dome in Berlin, Germany. PARANET produces air domes for sport, events or emergency accommodations supporting humanitarian aid missions. The size of the air domes varies from 18x18 meters up to 200x100 meters.

The HeliaFilm has been affixed with an integrated mounting on the outer shell on 50 square meters, in 2x2 meter squares. With a total electrical output of 1,4kWp, the current project should provide about 5% of the annual energy demand of the air dome.

The long-term goal of the cooperation is the ability to set up air domes without any external power supply. The next steps will be to extend the covered area on the air dome, adding energy storage devices and appropriate control systems. To be totally energy self-sufficient, an air dome might need only a quarter of the available surface area covered with Heliafilm.

HeliaFilm is suitable for this application because it is lightweight, flexible and very effective at harvesting solar energy under real world conditions. Compared to standard solar technology, the film from Heliatek is less susceptible to temperature changes and orientation to the sun.

Combined with HeliaFilms, PARANET air domes will be energy self-sufficient to a large degree. The market launch is planned for 2016.

Mr. Wowra, Managing Director, PARANET Germany, said: "With Heliatek's solar films, we will finally be able to offer our customers energy self-sufficient air domes in the future. It was not easy to find a flexible, industry solution for the application on PVC membrane. We are really pleased about the realisation of the first project in Berlin together with Heliatek."

"The addition of PVC membrane to our material portfolio is a major step in implementing Heliatek´s marketing strategy," commented Dr. Thomas Bickl, Vice President, Sales & Business Development, Heliatek "After the successful market start of HeliaFilm with building materials such as glass and concrete in 2014, we can now serve the PVC membrane segment with PARANET as a renowned partner."

Heliatek will present the variety of applications at the trade show BAU, which takes place from 19^th to the 24^th of January 2015 in Munich, Germany. The company will be located in hall B2, booth 241.