Sustainability Week 2024
This text is a part of a collection of sustainability-themed content material we’re operating to watch Earth Day and promote extra sustainable practices. Try all of our Sustainability Week 2024 content material.
It has been greater than 15 years since Exeger started its makes an attempt to create a brand new solution to energy your digital units and never solely has the Swedish startup been profitable in inventing photo voltaic cells which are powered by each pure and synthetic gentle sources, but it surely’s additionally managed to accomplice with a number of main client manufacturers so as to add the tech to their merchandise.
However what precisely is that this new solar energy tech? How does it work? And which units presently use it? Exeger’s CEO Giovanni Fili speaks to TechRadar this World Earth Day (April 22) about inventing ‘Powerfoyle’, a patented photo voltaic cell materials that transforms on a regular basis merchandise into self-powered machines.
With the power to transform any indoor and out of doors gentle into clear, countless power, there are numerous environmental advantages to creating extra sustainable digital options that lower down on e-waste. We caught up with Exeger CEO Giovanni to listen to extra about the way it works.
How does Powerfoyle work?
“Powerfoyle relies on a lab scale discovery known as ‘dye-sensitized photo voltaic cells’, which we now have each reinvented and scaled to match the calls for of worldwide firms like 3M, adidas and Vusion Group.
With over 300 patents, I’m proud to say that Exeger is a deep tech firm that has taken a basic scientific breakthrough from concept to profitable product launch, and we are actually scaling with among the world’s largest manufacturers as prospects.
Our photo voltaic cell expertise mimics photosynthesis. [To put it simply] identical to vegetation convert gentle power into usable power by the color of their leaves, Powerfoyle converts any gentle power, each synthetic indoor gentle and pure gentle, into electrical energy by the dye.
As soon as photons are became electrons, they’re then transported all through the cell in our proprietary electrode, which is 1000x higher at conducting electrical energy than what’s historically used. The electrons then can be utilized, usually to recharge a battery.
Not like batteries, which solely retailer power, Powerfoyle produces power, and now, for the primary time since moveable client electronics first appeared within the 1950’s, we see an influence supply straight built-in into the merchandise we use.”
The place is indoor photo voltaic tech being most used?
“There are not any different photo voltaic cell firms which are working within the indoor [solar cell] area with the size, design and buyer base that we now have. For the reason that first merchandise with Powerfoyle had been launched in 2021 [such as Urbanista Miami
and Urbanista Los Angeles headphones], there have been a handful of firms discovering their phase of the market.
We’ve got recognized three key markets within the indoor photo voltaic cell tech area: digitization of retail, pc peripherals [including various audio products such as wireless earbuds and even Bluetooth speakers] and distant controls [like Samsung’s solar powered smart remote].”
What’s distinctive about Powerfoyle?
“There are actually three key components that not solely set us other than all the opposite applied sciences, however may even result in Powerfoyle changing into a brand new commonplace in client electronics.
One. Design is important for any product that you simply maintain in your arms, particularly in client electronics. Powerfoyle may be made to appear like most supplies, like brushed metal, leather-based, carbon fibre and plenty of extra. It’s also made in any form, is skinny and versatile, and may be very sturdy. These traits permit Powerfoyle to be seamlessly built-in into any product.
Two. The usable energy from our cells is unmatched. The important thing distinction right here is that as an built-in photo voltaic cell in merchandise, Powerfoyle delivers as a lot as when examined standalone. What’s attention-grabbing is that different applied sciences, particularly glass primarily based photo voltaic cells, lose as much as 50% effectivity on account of quite a few components. The best to grasp is {that a} glass cell can’t be a structural a part of a product whereas Powerfoyle really is.
And third, we are able to cater to the world’s largest firms due to the size of our operations. We’ve got over 200 workers, 300 granted patents and two absolutely operational factories with a manufacturing capability of two.5 million sq. meters as soon as absolutely scaled.”
The place can you purchase Powerfoyle-powered units?
“The 3M Peltor headset, which hit the market simply final month, is among the merchandise that excites me probably the most with an unimaginable accomplice. 3M is a really modern firm, and our values align so effectively that working collectively is easy.
Our very first buyer, Urbanista, has additionally been on the forefront of the audio trade, launching a complete lineup of audio merchandise with the very first Powerfoyle product, the Urbanista Los Angeles, adopted by the Phoenix earbuds, and final December, the Malibu moveable audio system. Urbanista is definitely popping out with the second technology of each the Los Angeles and Phoenix, with a glossy up to date design.
The fantastic thing about Powerfoyle is that it may be seamlessly built-in into any product
Giovanni Fili, Exeger CEO
And lastly, we now have the adidas RPT02, launched in 2022, which was additionally an excellent success. When it comes to technological excellence, Powerfoyle allows all of the merchandise talked about to be fully self-powered, that means that the standard person by no means has to cost any of those merchandise. All they should do is use them the way in which they usually would, and Powerfoyle will convert the sunshine that’s there anyway into power for a totally seamless expertise with zero trouble.
Powerfoyle has been extraordinarily effectively acquired in the marketplace, and all our prospects are placing our model on the merchandise, loads like Gore-tex and Intel Inside. The rationale our prospects have chosen to showcase Powerfoyle is the added model worth related to our expertise. Any product with the Powerfoyle identify means final comfort for customers, and it’s finished in an environmentally pleasant means.
As a person, simply search for ‘Powerfoyle’ and also you’ll know that product has an influence supply straight built-in into it! Apart from that, the great thing about Powerfoyle is that it may be seamlessly built-in into any product, so for now, the merchandise you discover in the marketplace with our expertise are so effectively built-in that there is no such thing as a solution to know there’s a photo voltaic cell on the merchandise, besides after all our model identify.”
What’s subsequent for Powerfoyle?
“We’re within the means of scaling Stockholm II, our second manufacturing facility, to match the shopper demand we noticed final yr. In 2023, Stockholm II grew to become operational, which in flip led to Exeger signing 4 main contracts with the world chief in every of their respective markets. That was adopted by a €35 million [about $37 million / £30 million] mortgage granted by the European Funding Financial institution as half of a bigger fund increase to swiftly scale our manufacturing capability.
Within the second half of this yr, we are going to begin delivery to a number of of the purchasers we signed final yr. It’s a particularly vital and thrilling time for Exeger! That is the tipping level for the mass adoption of Powerfoyle.”
