In less than five years, WattByWatt, a start-up in Laval specializing in synthetic perovskite, has doubled the surface area of its laboratory and is now toying with the idea of building a factory that will manufacture 1 gigawatt of solar panels.
“Two and a half years ago, all we had was a PowerPoint and a small lab sample,” says Pierre Des Lierres, business development manager at WattByWatt. “Today, we have a panel that is ready to be marketed, which was not the case a few months ago. »
Expansion is happening at breakneck speed for this SME, which moved into a brand new 5,000 sq. ft. laboratory on Boulevard Armand-Frappier in early June. “It’s already too small because we’re already expanding, but it’s perfect. We have an amazing lab. We will be able to do small series, that is to say, we will be able to send potential partners hundreds or maybe 1000 panels to test on various products,” continues Mr. Des Lierres enthusiastically.
Imagine not having to plug in your electronic devices to charge them. This is what WattByWatt proposes to do with perovskite, a mineral which has photovoltaic capacities like silicon (constituting solar panels) and which the young shoot synthesizes 100% in the laboratory. “What’s amazing is that perovskite, unlike silicon, works with artificial light. So it works in your kitchen, in the evening, with your light. We want to achieve that on the back of your phone or even on the screen – because it would be possible – there is this panel that captures the light in your home and allows you to constantly charge your phone. So we’re talking about getting rid of the cable,” explains the business development manager.
The synthetic perovskite developed by WattByWatt is found in liquid form and is applied to solar panels in order to increase their energy efficiency.
The highly flexible mini solar panels developed by the company can power several small devices, including telephones, controllers and smoke alarms. WattByWatt is also very advanced with some partners to provide different transmission sensors in factories, warehouses and hotels. “In hotels, the room locks on which you tap the card, we could develop a lock with a panel,” says Pierre Des Lierres. Thus, exit the batteries to be changed every two years. According to the director of development, the use of synthetic perovskite would save more than 15 billion batteries per year.
The energy revolution proposed by WattByWatt seems so perfect that one can only wonder why its famous mini solar panels are not already commercialized on a large scale. “That’s what we call manage the expectations,” answers Pierre Des Lierres. We need to educate the market on perovskite. That is very expensive. Sometimes it’s better to be second in the market. That’s strategic. »