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PRO-S: The first highly energy efficient and eco-friendly bio based-photovoltaic module that works without sunlight or battery consumption for Smart buildings

Project description

Eco-friendly and battery-free PV module for smart buildings

The search to reduce CO2 emissions and transform to an economy based on renewable energy has increased the interest in solar energy that has the best properties possible. However, solar energy highly depends on weather conditions, its storage is expensive and it provokes certain environmental concerns. The EU-funded PRO-S project proposes an advanced photovoltaic (PV) module that is flexible, semi-transparent and toxic-free and generates electricity. It is the first PV module to produce and store electricity as hydrogen based upon needs, which means it is highly efficient on cloudy days. It is battery-free and recyclable and has low maintenance cost and environmental impact while being an economic source of energy. The project will develop the module for commercialisation in the construction and building market.

Objective

With the ever-increasing demand for energy, the search for alternative energy sources has increased. Solar energy is by far the most abundant form of renewable energy and has the potential to partially replace fossil fuels, but its mass adoption is hindered by its weather dependency, the cost of their energy storage systems and certain environmental concerns. PRO-S® is the first flexible, semitransparent and toxic-free photonanobiotech module that uses conductive small organic molecules (proteins from bacteriorhodopsin cultivation) to produce electricity. It is an outperformer for our target markets since: 1) it is the first product capable of generating electricity and store it as hydrogen upon needs, obtaining higher efficiency in cloudy and sunny days compared to standard PV (60% and 16%, respectively); 2) it has low maintenance costs and environmental impact since no batteries are needed and is 60% recyclable; 3) it is a low cost energy source since the manufacturing is cheap (30% lower than standard PV) and independent from market fluctuations; and 4) it can be easily integrated and customized to any size. Being our first opaque PV module currently market for parking meter and table boards (eboard), our next goal is to fully develop and market a more complex and semitransparent PRO-S® module for its application as solar panel for buldings and glass windows. We will take advantage of our current partners and distributor network (from previous product eboard) to successfully deploy our improved product into the construction and building market. We plan to conduct a Feasibility Study to analyze the technical, commercial and financial viability of our advance product PRO-S® to ensure its market deployment and uptake. We estimate to reach a turnover of €38 Mio and to create a total of 25 direct jobs -and 500+ indirect jobs- in 2024, with an NPV of €8.2 Mio.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

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Programme(s)

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Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

SME-1 - SME instrument phase 1

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Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) H2020-EIC-SMEInst-2018-2020

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Coordinator

PROTON NEW ENERGY FUTURE SL
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 50 000,00
Address
RDA JACINT VERDAGUER 23 3 2
08304 MATARO
Spain

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SME

The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.

Yes
Region
Este Cataluña Barcelona
Activity type
Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments)
Links
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 71 429,00
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