Libre Énergie is proud to have collaborated with Armor and Métalobil in the development of a major project related to solar innovation. Together, we have pooled our know-how and skills to participate in the production of urban, solar and connected furniture in the Middle East.

Nantes companies participate in the project

With the support of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) located in Saudi Arabia, Nantes companies Armor, Métalobil and Libre Énergie have produced multifunctional solar street furniture. The feat lies in particular in the spiral shape of the prototype, made possible by organic photovoltaics (also called OPV). Unlike conventional photovoltaics, which are very rigid, this derivative is flexible, thin, semi-transparent and does not require heavy metals or silicon.

Teamwork and shared skills

In order to create this curved bench with a futuristic aesthetic, the ASCA® Solutions Lab (a subsidiary of the Armor group) used its flexible photovoltaic film solution. The designer and manufacturer of urban furniture Métalobil was entrusted with the design of the connected bench. The Libre Énergie teams were asked to develop the energy management solution for transforming solar energy into electrical energy usable 24 hours a day. We have thus enabled the design imagined by Métalobil to work with the technology developed by ASCA®.

A multi-functional connected bench

Implanted within the university, solar street furniture allows students to charge their devices through USB ports. Two batteries store the recovered solar energy and as soon as the brightness decreases, the ASCA® film reacts by sending a signal allowing the LEDs to light up. The prototype thus installed in a particularly bright environment should allow researchers to make the best use of the data and the evolution of the connected bench. Of course, if the experiment is successful, we can imagine that the organic solar film is used in other fields such as construction and transport.

Libre Énergie, initiator and partner of innovative projects

This collaboration with pioneering and benchmark companies in their sector is total satisfaction for all of the Libre Énergie teams. Participating in this major project where design, technology and innovation overlap opens up new perspectives and widens our fields of expertise.