ASCA and Epishine sign their first licensing agreement for printed OPV
Epishine, a key player in the development and production of printed organic solar cells and current global leader on indoor OPV is partnering with ASCA – an ARMOR Group company and the organic photovoltaics (OPV) global leader, to strengthen and further develop the world-wide OPV market. ASCA recently acquired the most relevant intellectual property (IP) portfolio on printed OPV and the companies have signed a licensing agreement to share it beginning of April. The contract will enable the Swedish-based manufacturer Epishine to further improve its organic indoor light energy harvesting solar modules.
ASCA is an innovation-driven company that took patents on printed OPV production and technology from the chemical company Merck KGaA at the end of 2021. From the beginning, Epishine, as a key player in the OPV industry, has been actively involved in the discussion of making the IP regarding printed OPV available to the market. “We are pleased to sign our first licensing agreement with Epishine. This partnership is a logical follow-up and part of our commitment to support the growth of the organic photovoltaic market”, ASCA´s Vice President for Key Accounts Nicolas Vannieuwenhuyse says.
ASCA´s Vice President for Key Accounts Nicolas Vannieuwenhuyse and Anna Björklou, CEO at Epishine, sign the first licensing agreement related to printed OPV.
Maximize the potential of solar energy
Epishine is currently focusing on indoor light energy harvesting for sensors, beacons, displays and other small electronics, with the ambition to further develop both indoor and outdoor OPV applications. “We are manufacturing a printed organic solar cell with very good performance at low light. As one of the key actors that are taking printed organic solar cells to the global mass market, ASCA’s IP related to printed OPV is off course essential to us,” says Anna Björklou, CEO at Epishine.
ASCA´s aesthetic OPV-solutions offer an unlimited potential to support the expansion of solar energy from building and vehicle-integrated photovoltaics to energy-harvesting electronic devices for the IoT world. ASCA is the only manufacturer to provide tailor-made solutions in terms of shapes and dimensions to meet the requirements of all use cases. Through licensing agreements with other actors of the OPV industry, ASCA wants to tear down market adoption barriers and to increase the competitiveness of OPV. “As a lightweight and flexible solution, OPV enables to maximize the potential of solar energy as we can easily equip new surfaces”, says Vannieuwenhuyse.
As OPV has a low carbon footprint and no rare earths are used it is an even greener option than conventional solar modules.
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ABOUT EPISHINE
Epishine is a leading developer and manufacturer of printed organic solar cells, committed to reducing global environmental impact by enabling innovative and smart technologies in meeting the demand for sustainable energy solutions.Epishine's business is based on pioneering manufacturing breakthroughs. Their first product is a unique organic solar cell optimized for harvesting ambient indoor light that is easily integrated into small low-power electronics. If you are interested in investing in Epishine, their next equity round is planned in early 2023.
www.epishine.com
ABOUT ASCA
ASCA designs and develops intelligent, tailor-made, flexible and low-carbon solar energy solutions on an industrial scale for its international partners. Its team of experts of sixty people is spread over France and Germany. ASCA is a company of ARMOR Group. ARMOR specializes in the industrial formulation of inks and the coating of thin layers onto thin films. The Group is the global market leader in the design and manufacture of thermal transfer ribbons for printing variable traceability data on labels and flexible packaging. With an international presence, ARMOR has nearly 2,450 employees in some 20 different countries. In 2020 it posted annual revenue of €372m.
www.asca.com