About Us Solion is a young, rapidly growing design and innovation led company specialising in developing and installing innovative solar mounting systems for buildings.
Solion is accredited by the Energy Saving Trust to install Photovaltaic systems for the DTI PV demonstration program. Solion provides innovative value added products for "on" and "off" grid solar applications.
SOLION Ltd was formed in February 2002, it is partly owned by the South Bank University. Unlike other solar companies, Solion has the advantage of using the wide range of equipment, facilities and expertise in the university. As a consequence, the company has the skill set and contacts to generate and access generic technology solutions to new solar product demands.
About the industry The last 10 years has seen high growth in the world Photovoltaic (PV) market culminating last year in an increase of over 30%. The PV industry is based on the long-term need for renewable energy products and therefore high growth in this sector is expected to continue for the rest of the century. The growth path for solar can be likened to the automobile industry in the 20th Century. The industry is divided into two main areas, depending on the application:
On Grid - PV products integrated into buildings (BIPV). A PV system is installed to supply power to a building or other load that is also connected to the utility grid. These systems are increasingly integrated into the built environment and are likely to become commonplace. They are used to supply electricity to residential dwellings, commercial and industrial buildings, and are typically between 1 kW and 100 kW in size. Kilowatt peak (kWp) is the maximum power output on a sunny day. Under UK conditions 1kWp of PV cells (less than 10 m2 surface area) could be expected to produce around 750 kWh of electricity in a year. The annual average household uses 3,000-3,500 kWh. Thus a 2kWp system may provide about half of a household's demand.
A subsidised UK, PV roofing programme has been initiated in 2002 by the current government to install large numbers of domestic and commercial PV roofs.
Off Grid - Where grid electricity is not possible, is too expensive to install or the supply is unreliable. Solar (PV) panels charge up batteries that store the energy. The energy is then used to power fridges, lights or all manner of devices. Applications vary from lighthouses, remote sensors and mobile phone batteries. The development of low power devices such as telecommunications equipment and LED's has made PV viable for a wide range of uses even in the UK.
History
Solion's founders, Dr Mike Duke and Dr Loey Salam are senior lecturers in engineering and have worked in this field for the past 10 years. They have built up considerable expertise in designing and building innovative PV systems including three successful solar racing cars and numerous industrial systems. SOLION Ltd was formed as a direct spin-off of these activities, to utilise the different technologies developed over the years as commercial products.
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Consultancy
Solion is capable of working from problem to prototype and evaluation followed by full product specification and supply in short order. Wherever possible, Solion, keeps ownership of its designs and innovations in order to maximize return from its product developments.
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