At the end of 2021, Asca took over patents on OPV production and technology from the Darmstadt, Germany-based science and technology company Merck. With this purchase, Asca has become the largest portfolio owner with regard to printed OPV worldwide through tripling its number of patents.
Asca has already generated many patents on its own, especially related to mass production of customized OPV solutions. The company has also recently been acknowledged by the European Commission which identified specific project-related innovations as “actively exploring value creation opportunities and addressing the needs of existing markets and customers.”
Market adoption
Through licensing agreements with other actors of the OPV industry, Asca wants to reduce the barriers and support the growth of the OPV market. “It was our clear goal that the acquisition of the IP portfolio should not constrain OPV market access for other players in this field. The IP portfolio will be open for licensing in order to tear down market adoption barriers”, Sebastian Meier, Vice President of Corporate Development and Partner Management at Asca, says.
The Asca film offers a strong potential for energy-harvesting on all kind of surfaces thanks to its manufacturing process and highly customizable solar solutions. This has been demonstrated, for example, in the panelled roof of the Netherlands pavilion during the Expo 2020 in Dubai, in the glass balustrades with integrated solar films at condominiums in Stuttgart (Germany) and with a solar tree in Löchgau (Germany) producing electricity for e-bike charging stations. (mfo)
