A new range of solar products custom-designed for use on commercial vehicles is now available from Genie Insights.
The panels charge batteries that can be used to power equipment including fridge units, tail lifts and a wide range of electrical ancillary equipment – they can be easily customised for application on virtually any commercial vehicle or trailer configuration.
The products are produced in conjunction with a UK solar panel manufacture and latest Copper Indium Gallium Selenide (CIGS) technology instead of traditional glass-based panels.
This brings benefits including high power and efficiency – the panels can even generate energy in low-light conditions – along with a lightweight and flexible design that’s also robust. The panel technology flexes with the vehicle body, and because it doesn’t contain glass, there is no risk of fractures or cracking. The panels can also continue to work even if damaged or partially covered and their reliability and practicality has been proven in existing customer work; the business has sold more than 1,000 panels into the UK and Irish commercial vehicle market.
Billy Dougan of Genie Insights said: “The latest CIGS technology allows panels to be lighter weight, slimmer and more efficient than traditional solar solutions. This technology clearly has major benefits but during early trials we realised that a one-size-fits-all solution would have limited appeal as vehicle and trailer configurations vary so much. We have therefore spent 18 months working on a flexible production process with our manufacturing partner to be able to deliver customised products to both trailer manufacturers and operators.”
While solar panels on commercial vehicles provide fuel savings, Genie Insights says the greatest benefits come from improvements in battery performance and reliability. As a minimum, the panels keep batteries trickle-charged to prevent loss of power and to minimise the risk of breakdowns.
In some applications, they can even generate enough energy to be the main source of power.
The solar panels are available as a tailor-made solution, or in a range of standardised products, and Genie offers a full design, installation and back-up service with a five-year performance warranty.
