The internal solar cells should make charging cables unnecessary

Charging electrical devices without cables: This is what a Swedish company promised with the help of an internal solar cell that does not even depend on the sun. Charging cables should become unnecessary.

Power from any light source: This is what a Swedish company's invention is supposed to do. Sure enough, Exeger's so-called Powerfoyle doesn't even need the sun. The internal solar cell is flexible and can charge electronic devices such as headphones, keyboards, and smart home gadgets – without cables.

Charging without cables: This is how Powerfoyle works

This technology relies on artificial photosynthesis processes to convert light energy into electricity. According to the manufacturer, the solar cell does not necessarily depend on direct sunlight. Diffuse light, such as light from a candle or from indoor lighting, is also suitable.

It was precisely due to the lack of light in Sweden during the winter months that founder Giovanni Felli came up with the idea to further develop solar technology. “Like algae at the bottom of the ocean, where it's almost completely dark, we can use very few photons efficiently,” he explains. The Independent. Its mission is to meet global energy needs and some of the biggest environmental challenges facing the planet.

“Powerfoyle is a solar cell that can be integrated into consumer electronic devices to provide them with endless clean energy,” the company wrote on the website. Product page Solar film. It differs from traditional glass-covered panels because it does not require conductive paths. It is also insensitive to partial shading, which usually significantly reduces the efficiency of PV modules.

The Swedish startup continues to develop indoor solar cells

Solar cells for indoor use have already been around for decades. For example, solar-powered calculators were introduced in the 1970s. In 1988, researchers at the University of California at Berkeley in California developed a low-cost, high-efficiency dye-sensitized solar cell that was semi-flexible and semi-transparent.

More than 20 years later, Henrik Lindström, co-founder of Fili and Exeger, used this technology to develop a new electrode material that promised 1,000 times better conductivity. It is the basis of the Powerfoyle cell, which is now produced on a commercial scale.

Charging without cables: The solar cell is already built into these devices

already exists December 2023 Exiger received a loan of €35 million from the European Investment Bank (EIB). The funds will be used to expand production to meet ongoing demand. The Swedish clean technology startup is supposed to be able to produce up to 2.5 million square meters of patented solar cells annually.

So far, the Swedes have managed to incorporate their invention into seven commercially available products, including headphones, wireless speakers and a bicycle helmet. Six others are in follow-up. Exiger's clients include Adidas, Phillips, Urbanista and 3M. high independent The startup is also in talks with LogiTech and Apple.