Safety Tests with Organic PV in Glass Facades Passed, Installation in Marburg, Germany, is Completed

    NUREMBERG, GERMANY, December 15, 2016 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Bischoff Glas Technik AG ("BGT") and BELECTRIC OPV GmbH have completed a project in Marburg, designed by AiD architecture, where in glass laminated OPV elements have been used as a facade to cover an exterior lift shaft. The power generated by the OPV glass is used to ventilate the lift shaft to prevent heat accumulation inside. In order to comply with building codes and safety regulations for vertical integration of laminated glass, shatterproof tests were carried out and passed for this specific project. As these tests were passed at a certified test house, the "BI-Powersol" product range has proved its compliance with market regulations and demonstrates that OPV laminated in glass is a perfect material for the construction industry to use in multifunctional facades. For the project in Marburg, a family of customized, semi-transparent OPV modules was designed and manufactured by BELECTRIC OPV using blue-colored LISICON active material supplied by Merck KGaA, which was then laminated into facade glass by BGT.

"We used the project in Marburg to test our BI-Powersol product against the building code and its associated safety regulations. Although this was carried out for a specific project - i.e. for the actual mounting scheme and layout used - it has an important impact for upcoming OPV projects. The achieved test certificates for vertically installed OPV in glass facades mounted at elevated height can now be transferred to other projects. Of course, all projects have different requirements but passing the first test is always an important milestone," explains Klaus Wittmann, Member of the Board of BGT.

"The project in Marburg might not be a large one but the complexity of running such an installation project is almost independent of the dimensions when it comes to required testing," adds Hermann Issa, Senior Director of Business Development and Sales at BELECTRIC OPV. "For this project we created a new OPV design series, which has been integrated into customized glass panels. This way we truly implement a unique facade."

About BELECTRIC OPV: BELECTRIC OPV GmbH, with offices in Nuremberg and Kitzingen, is the market leader in the area of organic photovoltaics. BELECTRIC OPV produces bespoke organic solar cells and systems, tailored to customers specific requirements. Furthermore, BELECTRIC OPV is active in the area of research and development, in order to continuously provide their customers with creative and innovative solutions. Additionally, BELECTRIC OPV employs a unique manufacturing process, based on a combination of printing, lamination and laser structuring processes. These give a distinct advantage due to their high scalability and, moreover, allow the implementation of custom designs. BELECTRIC OPV supports its customers with the integration of OPV in existing as well as new products and delivers the accompanying system solutions. BELECTRIC OPV currently has two product lines: SOLARTE for architects and designers and POWER PLASTIC for large scale industrial applications. Products from BELECTRIC OPV stand for innovation, quality, and design.

About BGT: BGT Bischoff Glastechnik AG of Bretten, Germany is one of Europe's leading companies for flat glass processing and finishing. Established in 1938 as an iron and glass wholesaler, this medium-sized enterprise has been working closely with the Scheuten Group of the Netherlands since 2007. With its broad range of functional glasses and special glasses, BGT is predominately active in the construction industry and in various other industrial sectors. Its many years of experience and outstanding expertise form the basis for its high-quality products, which are in use around the world. A key reason for the company's successful positioning in the market is its constant readiness to innovate. BGT believes in tackling challenges head-on to develop outstanding solutions for glass architecture and industrial applications. It is this readiness to give full attention to its customers' requirements in its search for both standard and high-tech solutions that makes BGT a sought-after partner for all facets of the glass business worldwide.

In addition, as a medium-sized enterprise, BGT's structures provide it with close customer proximity and the ability to act in a flexible manner. The company is also able to rely on the extensive resources of the Scheuten Group for such things as product development, logistics and purchasing. This conglomeration of strengths means that BGT can offer its customers comprehensive consultation while finding the optimum glass solution for any requirements.

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