Printed Organic Photovoltaics: Disruptive Technology in a Great Energy Company

Dr Marc Vermeersch, Head of Dept. Solar & New Energies

TOTAL S.A. - Gas & Power, France

France

This presentation was given at Printed Electronics & Photovoltaics Europe 2010 on Apr 13, 2010.

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Presentation Summary

The fifth largest publicly‐traded integrated international oil and gas Company and a world‐class chemicals manufacturer, Total operates in more than 130 countries and has 96,950 employees.
Within the international energy framework, environmental and climate issues, solar energy is progressively gaining respectability; if printed organic photovoltaics nowadays accounts for a limited amount of the total installed power it constitutes nevertheless the most significant breakthrough over the last decade.
This presentation illustrates the adaptability of a great Energy Company evolving from sustaining to disruptive innovation.

Company Profile (Total)

Total has been active in solar energy since 1983 through its interests in two companies, Photovoltech and Tenesol. Photovoltech, in which Total holds a 50% interest alongside GDF-Suez, produces photovoltaic cells based on a crystalline silicon technology. Tenesol, in which Total holds a 50% stake alongside EDF, specializes in designing, manufacturing, marketing and operating photovoltaic solar energy systems.

In December 2008, Total became the largest shareholder in U.S. start-up Konarka, which develops products based on organic solar technologies. Total's stake is now nearly 25%.

It has alos acquired a 25.4% interest in U.S. startup AE Polysilicon Corporation (AEP), which has developed an advanced technology to produce polysilicon for photovoltaic panels.

Total is also conducting significant R&D through partnerships with world-class laboratories in France, such as the Laboratoire de Physique des Interfaces et des Couches Minces (LPICM - Interface and Thin Film Physics Laboratory) at the Ecole Polytechnique engineering school and the Toulouse-based Laboratory for Analysis and Architecture of Systems (LAAS), as well as in the United States, Switzerland, Belgium, Germany and the UK.