Long, long ago: hardly anyone in the solar industry remembers the time when very special solar modules were developed and manufactured in Paderborn. The then Biohaus PV Handels GmbH bonded laminates made in the USA by Unisolar to roof membranes to create solar active roofing membranes.
Were in great demand at the time
Although the amorphous silicon modules required a lot of space, their dual function made them attractive and, for a time, highly sought after. Unisolar and Biohaus PV Handel did not survive the crisis a good ten years ago.
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But the Biohaus Foundation for Environment and Justice, founded by Biohaus founder Willi Ernst, did. It is dedicated to projects in Haiti, for example. There, Unisolar modules generate electricity for the country's only children's hospital. Only residual amounts remain in Paderborn.
Resourceful engineer builds solar sets
When the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine began, the Biohaus Foundation sent its remaining thin-film panels to the war zone. Anatolii Andreiev, a young Ukrainian engineer in the service of the University of Paderborn, explained to his colleagues at Kherson University how to use the solar modules and organised matching Victron charge controllers.
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The sets worked so well for charging batteries for radio and emergency medical equipment that supplies from Paderborn were immediately requested. "Colleagues told us during the last transport of relief supplies at the beginning of October that the blue lobes are not recognised as power generators by Russian drones," reports Anatolii Andreiev. "Thus they do not come under fire."
Difficult to recognise as stealth modules
Therefore, it was decided in Ukraine to provide the next solar sets not only to hospitals and children's homes, but also to the military units of the territorial defence. "So they have become almost the most sought-after of our relief supplies," Andreiev tells us. "We have been approached time and again about getting more of these camouflage modules."
Stocks in Paderborn are exhausted
Unfortunately, the Biohaus Foundation's stocks are now exhausted. "Therefore, we would like to ask the solar community if there are any remaining stocks of Unisolar laminates or Biohaus PV membranes to be found somewhere," Willi Ernst appeals. "After all, we know that some systems have been dismantled and replaced by more powerful modules. Surely one or the other solar company still has such modules stored and is willing to have them collected at our expense."
Anyone who can contribute the described "blue mats" is welcome to contact Willi Ernst, at this email: info@biohaus-stiftung.org. (mfo)
