Apollo Power’s flexible solar panels provide cheap electricity anywhere the sun shines, says CEO Oded Rozenberg

“The solar world has proven that it can compete with oil and gas when it comes to electricity prices,” Oded Rozenberg, CEO of Apollo Power, said on Wednesday during an interview with Meir Orbach as part of Calcalist and ESIL Technologies’ Sustainability and Innovation Week. According to Rozenberg, the flexible solar panel his company produces can be used to charge mobile phones, headphones, dashcams, cars, and houses. “We want to be everywhere the sun shines to produce our electricity,” he said.

Apollo Power’s flexible solar panel produces electricity from the sun in an environmentally friendly way and its advantage is that it can operate anywhere, without requiring any construction or placement, it is unbreakable and can be placed on any surface, including water, uneven terrain, and even vehicles. Rozenberg said its main advantage is in motion.

“The automotive world of today is shifting to electric and hybrid vehicles, with some estimates saying that within a decade nearly 50% of vehicles will be either hybrid or fully electric. Those vehicles require power. They either have to physically connect to a charging station or be coated with a certain material that will allow the vehicle to charge while standing in traffic jams or while parking so it can fill up its battery that expended power when driving,” Rozenberg said.

Apollo Power is working in collaboration with auto manufacturer Audi in an effort to combine its solar rooftop panel in the company’s newest electric models. It also works with the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi innovation lab in Israel to embed its technologies in their vehicles too.

“The bigger the roof is relative to the battery, the more relevant we become. For small vehicles, we can add 3-5 kilometers a day worth of power. With larger vehicles, we can reach 20-30 kilometers powered by free solar energy a day. That’s what we’re aiming for and naturally, with time we will reach even higher efficiencies and better results,” Rozenberg added.

“The solar solution is no more expensive than other electricity-generating methods,” Rozenberg explained. “The solar world has proven in recent years that it can compete with oil and natural gas when it comes to electricity production. We are introducing a more innovative solution, that is suitable for more applications while still maintaining the revolution of providing cheap power where it is needed— unlike oil or natural gas power plants, which produce cheap electricity but need it to be transported to houses and factories. What’s nice about solar cells is that they produce electricity where it is used, so that the transportation costs can be reduced."