The future of mobility is green: introducing OPES Solar Mobility

OPES is growing. For over a decade, we’ve been committed to expanding the use of solar energy in new areas of application and are now opening a new chapter. We are establishing OPES Solar Mobility. This new company focuses on making transportation more sustainable with flexible solar panels designed specifically for trucks, busses and motorhomes.

Since our foundation twelve years ago as OPES Solutions, we have been manufacturing custom solar modules, consistently pursuing our vision to fully leverage the power of photovoltaics: to generate electricity exactly where it is consumed. With over 12 million solar modules worldwide, we have enabled applications to sustainably power themselves with affordable energy – ranging from solar home systems to GPS trackers to sharing bikes. Solar energy is thus becoming an integral, enriching part of everyday life.

We are now applying this long-standing expertise and passion for solar energy specifically to the vehicle industry. OPES Solar Mobility is dedicated exclusively to the production of flexible solar panels for vehicles. From camper vans to trucks, our panels are specifically designed to meet the needs of the automotive industry and provide a sustainable source of energy on and off the road.

While OPES Solar Mobility takes the lead in serving mobility sector clients, OPES Solutions remains dedicated to its existing customers, benefiting from ongoing research and development collaboration. The synergy between the two entities fosters innovation, ensuring that solar technology continues to evolve.

Flexible solar panels for vehicles need special attention

Developing solar panels for vehicles presents unique challenges. Unlike stationary applications, on-board solar must withstand vibrations, airflow, and complex bonding requirements. Those solar modules have to be approached in a new way – from module design to production to new test procedures. Collaborating with esteemed partners like Fraunhofer CSP, we have pioneered innovations such as the SolFlex solar module, setting a new benachmark in vehicle-integrated solar technology. Since 2021, we have been serially producing this module and supplying customers such as the leading motorhome specialist, Westfalia. Until now, we have produced these modules at the factory in Changzhou.

We are leveraging the experience gained from twelve years of market leadership in off-grid modules to set up another production facility.

The founding of OPES Solar Mobility enables us to open a solar module factory in Zwenkau, Germany. A state-of-the-art production facility covering over 12,000 square meters. Thanks to a unique machine park, every detail of this solar module is optimized for the vehicle industry – from cell interconnection for dynamic shading to an innovative cell layout for ideal space utilization to functional safety.

Solar panels reduce CO2 emissions and improve independence and cost efficiency

Why is this important? Because the mobility of tomorrow must be green. The caravan market is booming and more and more campers are looking for a sense of freedom and independence. Solar panels for motorhomes offer a reliable and environmentally friendly energy source that allows campers to live their fantasy vacation without having to worry about empty batteries.

Changes are also afoot in the transportation sector. Commercial vehicles such as trucks, refrigerated vans and delivery vans are responsible for a significant proportion of CO2 emissions. Strict new reduction targets are therefore forcing the industry to change its way of thinking. Solar modules offer an opportunity to use an additional energy source and reduce dependence on fossil fuels while increasing cost efficiency. Not only is the powertrain being electrified, but also other consumers such as refrigeration systems, which are being converted from diesel to electricity. Modern transportation therefore requires more green energy.

Comprehensive support for the entire system

With OPES Solar Mobility, we are ideally positioned to support the automotive industry in this transformation. From our new location in Zwenkau, we will supply a new generation of more powerful solar modules that are designed to the requirements of vehicles down to the smallest detail. And with our comprehensive support, we are on hand to help our customers integrate our solar modules into their systems. Highly automated production has enabled a new level of scalability for the industry – more than 100,000 vehicles can be equipped with vehicle-integrated solar modules every year.

The future of mobility is undoubtedly green, and at OPES, we’re committed to driving that transformation forward.