Skip to main content

AE Solar tackles solar panel piracy

Published by , Assistant Editor
Energy Global,


For the very first time in the solar industry, AE Solar will integrate near-field communication (NFC)-Chips into all of its panels in protection against piracy.

There are and always have been piracy problems in the solar industry. This issue has already affected many companies or is becoming a problem for them, even for companies who are already well established and trusted on the market. Dishonest entrepreneurs are aware of well-known companies and are creating fake low-quality photovoltaic (PV) modules with a short lifetime and high degradation under trustworthy brand names. Unfortunately, the worldwide market is full of such copycats.

This challenge has pushed AE Solar to initiate and create a unique mobile app against piracy problems which will check the authenticity of PV modules by integrating NFC-Chips into all of its panels. This is of worldwide precedence and most importantly, the price will not be affected for customers, even though the chips will be integrated into every PV module manufactured by AE Solar.

What major benefits will this have for buyers?

  • The innovation, introduced by high-quality German PV module manufacturing company AE Solar, will make sure that everyone with a smartphone can check the authenticity of AE Solar’s products in seconds, meaning that each of its partners and customers can be reassured of the product’s original quality, guaranty and warranty. After getting the correct information about the origins of the panel, customers will have a promise that their PV modules will work 100% long term.
  • In one second, the NFC-Chip can tell the buyer any important information about the PV module. The end customer can interact with AE Solar, share their own thoughts and get feedback from professionals. This is a great opportunity to directly communicate with the brand and track panels using a cloud database. The brand will be able to easily and efficiently take care of the buyer through the app’s interactive system.
  • Future plans: Soon AE Solar will integrate even SMARTER tools into the app, such as a monitoring programme based on panel function and provide monitoring and problem solutions for the solar systems of AE SOLAR PV modules.

The AE Solar App is available for every smartphone and is free to download. The app allows customers to scan a PV module’s bar code and checks its authenticity. The application provides detailed information about each module. Users will be able to have direct communication with AE Solar professionals, ask them questions, and get feedback. The application requires NFC support and an internet connection, and the app requires access to a smartphone's camera. Free registration is available via email or Facebook.

NFC-Chips

NFC is a set of wireless communication protocols for communication between two electronic devices over a distance of 4 cm or less. NFC devices can act as electronic identity documents and keycards. NFC tags are passive data stores that can be read by suitable smartphones that support NFC protocol. They are used to identify a serial number or the technical specification of a product. NFC evolved from radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology, and data can be transferred to a smartphone when it is in close proximity to the NFC chip. NFC is now an established communication technology, already being widely used. For example, Android, Apple, and Samsung Pay are notable uses of NFC technology that facilitate the easy and secure transfer of payment between consumers and POS systems with just one tap.

About AE Solar

AE Solar GmbH is founded by Dr. Alexander Maier and his brothers in Konigsbrunn, Germany, in 2003. AE Solar has a presence in more than 70 countries and has an annual capacity up to 1 GW by manufacturing factories in Europe and China.

AE Solar is also well-known for the world’s first Smart Shading Resistant Hot-spot Free PV module. The Smart Shading Resistant Hot-Spot Free Modules use bypass diodes between each cell to avoid shading consequences (tested by Fraunhofer CSP). Available from 260 W to 385 W range, the AE Smart Hot-Spot Free Modules offer up to 30% more power output compared to standard PV Modules in real conditions.

For more information, please visit www.ae-solar.com

Read the article online at: https://www.energyglobal.com/solar/29052020/ae-solar-tackles-solar-panel-piracy/

You might also like

 
 

Embed article link: (copy the HTML code below):