Hanergy Signs Agreement to Provide Thin-Film Solar Panels to Bike-Sharing Company MTbike
Thin-film solar technology increasingly seen as ideal mobile energy solution for emerging mobile-energy applications.
BEIJING, Sept. 22, 2017 — Hanergy Holding Group, China’s largest thin-film solar cell manufacturer, announced the signing of a strategic agreement with bike-sharing company MTbike. Under the partnership, Hanergy will integrate thin-film solar panels into the body of over ten million bicycles in the next three years to meet the electricity demand of their smart lock systems. The total value of the agreement will reach over 300 million RMB. Other than MTbike, Hanergy previously also signed similar partnership with Mobike and 99 Bicycle, two other major industry players.
“Mobile solar energy applied to the sharing economy has huge potential to transform the transportation industry and many others,” said Hanergy chairman Li Hejun. “With Hanergy’s global leading thin-film technology and world-class R&D capability, we are well-positioned to provide convenient and efficient mobile energy solutions to China’s rapidly growing bike-sharing industry.”
Other than the cooperation with MTbike, Hanergy also worked with other major players. Under the agreement with Mobike, in addition to supplying high-efficiency thin-film solar panels, Hanergy and Mobike will also set up a joint lab to develop mobile energy and “internet of energy” technologies. With 99 Bicycle, Hanergy will help the company to produce over 5 million bikes with using Hanergy panels over the next two years.
The thin-film solar panels developed by Hanergy are thin, light, flexible and resilient with higher conversion rates compared with crystalline silicon solar cells, which makes them an ideal power source for shared bikes and other mobile energy applications. Other than providing electricity for the smart locks, the panels will also be the power source for MTbike’s other technologies, such as smart handlebars and motor locks installed in the bikes in the future.
To meet the particular needs of shared bikes, such as high-frequency usage and long-time exposure to open air, Hanergy developed special thin-film panels which can operate normally under extreme situations including heavy vibrations from rough roads and crashes, as well as heavy rain.
The panels used for the shared bikes have passed “gunshot tests” conducted in Hanergy’s laboratory in the U.S., in which the panels are shot by rifles three times to ensure their durability.
Hanergy’s light weight, flexible, thin-film solar panels are well suited to generate power for a wide range of transportation applications. Hanergy Thin Film Power signed an agreement with Audi to jointly introduce integrated thin-film solar cells in the panoramic roofs of Audi models. The innovative solution will prolong endurance mileage by feeding solar energy into the internal vehicle electrical system – including air conditioning and other electrical appliances.
According to the 2016 Global New Energy Development Report issued by China’s All Federation of Industrial and Commercial’s New Energy Commerce Chamber, the total value of the global mobile energy market could reach 7.4 trillion RMB by 2020. Hanergy’s leading thin-film solar products are exempt from anti-dumping duties, and are well positioned to support emerging mobile energy applications in China and the world.
Source: Hanergy Holding Group
