LIGHT-CAP · Project

Solar Panels That Store Their Own Energy in One Compact Device

energyPrototypeTRL 4Thin data (2/5)

Imagine if your solar panel could also be its own battery — capturing sunlight and holding onto that energy until you need it, all in one lightweight unit. Right now, you need a solar panel plus a separate battery, which means more cost, more weight, and more space. This project used tiny nanomaterials that can both absorb light and store multiple electrical charges at the same time — like a sponge that soaks up sunlight and keeps it. The team built proof-of-concept devices that merge what normally requires two bulky, expensive systems into a single compact unit made from earth-abundant materials.

By the numbers

consortium partners

countries represented (CH, DE, ES, IT, JP)

demo prototype deliverables

total project deliverables

industry ratio in consortium

The business problem

What needed solving

Today's solar energy systems require two separate, expensive components: panels to capture sunlight and batteries to store it. This means higher costs, more weight, larger installations, and complex maintenance — especially painful for portable electronics, building integration, and off-grid applications. There is a clear market need for a single compact device that both converts and stores solar energy using cheap, abundant materials.

The solution

What was built

The team built 4 proof-of-concept devices: a compact solid-state hybrid architecture resembling a capacitor, a light-powered flow cell with two compartments for redox reactions, and two types of proof-of-concept light-driven electrodes (one hybrid solid-liquid and one all-solid). These devices use zero-dimensional nanoparticle and graphene quantum dot films that both harvest light and store charge.

Audience

Who needs this

Portable electronics manufacturers looking for lighter self-powered devicesBuilding-integrated photovoltaic system suppliersOff-grid power solution providers for telecom and IoTMilitary and defense portable power equipment makersSolar technology companies seeking next-generation product differentiation

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Portable and Mobile Electronics

mid-size

Target: Manufacturers of wearable devices, tablets, IoT sensors, or outdoor electronics

If you are a portable electronics manufacturer dealing with the weight and bulk of separate solar chargers and batteries — this project developed a compact solid-state architecture that combines light harvesting and energy storage in one unit. Built from earth-abundant materials and compatible with solution processing (similar to printing), it could dramatically reduce the size and weight of self-powered devices. The proof-of-concept electrodes demonstrated multi-charge transfer capability for improved energy density.

Building-Integrated Photovoltaics

enterprise

Target: Construction firms or facade system suppliers integrating solar into building envelopes

If you are a building products company struggling with the cost and complexity of installing both solar panels and battery storage — this project created a hybrid light-driven architecture that converts and stores solar energy in the same thin-film structure. The technology uses solution processing, meaning it could eventually be applied like a coating. With low volume and weight compared to conventional panel-plus-battery setups, it opens a path toward self-powered building surfaces.

Off-Grid and Remote Power

SME

Target: Companies supplying power solutions for telecom towers, agricultural sensors, or emergency systems in remote locations

If you are supplying off-grid power systems where maintenance of separate solar panels and batteries is expensive and logistically difficult — this project built proof-of-concept flow cells and solid-state devices that generate and store solar energy in one unit. The use of environmentally friendly, earth-abundant materials reduces supply chain risk. The light-powered flow cell design with multiple compartments allows modular scaling for different power needs.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would this technology cost compared to current solar-plus-battery systems?

The project objective highlights cost benefits from solution processing (similar to printing techniques) and the use of earth-abundant materials, which avoids expensive rare elements. However, no specific cost figures or price comparisons are available in the project data — this remains at proof-of-concept stage.

Can this scale to industrial production volumes?

The technology was demonstrated at lab scale in proof-of-concept devices, including both planar solid-state architectures and flow cell configurations. The objective mentions solution processing as a manufacturing pathway, which is inherently scalable, but no pilot production or industrial-scale testing has been reported. Significant engineering work remains before manufacturing readiness.

What is the IP situation and can we license this technology?

The project was coordinated by Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia with a purely academic and research consortium of 7 partners across 5 countries. IP generated under EU-funded RIA projects is typically owned by the partners who created it. Licensing discussions would need to go through the consortium members directly.

How does the energy density compare to existing batteries?

The project objective references prospectively enhanced light-powered energy density due to multi-charge transfer capability — each nanostructure can accumulate multiple charges after light activation. However, no specific energy density numbers (Wh/kg or Wh/L) are provided in the available project data. Based on available project data, this advantage is demonstrated at material level, not yet at device level.

What types of devices were actually built and tested?

The project delivered 4 demo prototypes: a hybrid solid-state architecture similar to an electrolytic capacitor, a light-powered flow cell with two compartments, and two proof-of-concept electrodes (one solid-liquid hybrid and one all-solid). Electrochemical measurements were performed using potentiostat/galvanostat stations with cyclic voltammetry in three-electrode cell configurations.

Is this compatible with existing manufacturing equipment?

The objective emphasizes solution processing as the fabrication method, which is compatible with existing coating and printing equipment used in organic electronics manufacturing. The active layers use zero-dimensional nanoparticles and graphene quantum dot films that can be deposited from liquid solutions. However, no integration with specific commercial production lines has been demonstrated.

Consortium

Who built it

The LIGHT-CAP consortium of 7 partners across 5 countries (Italy, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, Japan) is entirely academic and research-oriented — 5 universities and 2 research organizations with zero industrial partners. This is typical for a FET Proactive project focused on frontier science. The coordinator, Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, is a well-known Italian research institution. For a business looking to adopt this technology, the absence of industrial partners means there is no company already working on commercialization, which represents both a risk (longer path to market) and an opportunity (early mover advantage for a company willing to invest in development).

FONDAZIONE ISTITUTO ITALIANO DI TECNOLOGIACoordinator · IT
ECOLE POLYTECHNIQUE FEDERALE DE LAUSANNEparticipant · CH
JUSTUS-LIEBIG-UNIVERSITAET GIESSENparticipant · DE
Fundacion IMDEA Energiaparticipant · ES
POLITECNICO DI MILANOparticipant · IT
TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAET DRESDENparticipant · DE

How to reach the team

Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (Italy) — contact through SciTransfer for introduction

Order a report on this consortium See FONDAZIONE ISTITUTO ITALIANO DI TECNOLOGIA profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

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