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Nousol, pocket-sized solar energy
The simplest things can become brilliant ideas. Xavier Pérez was inspired the day he came up with the idea of ClickCells, which are small, pocket-sized solar panels that can be used almost anywhere and have numerous applications. The idea has gone a long way: as far as Africa.
16/06/2009
In 2005, the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) called for entries for a new ideas competition as part of the Innova Programme. Xavier Pérez, who was then a student, entered. “It all came out of my final thesis”, he explained. Since then, the original idea has developed into ClickCells, which are pocket-sized solar panels that can be linked together and have numerous uses as a result of their adaptability. “Our aim was for these solar panels to be integrated in existing architecture rather than for architecture to have to adapt to the panels, which is what happens at the moment”, stated Pérez.
This young entrepreneur realised that the idea needed a boost in the early stages. After an initial consultation with the Innova Programme, Pérez requested project funding from the Catalan government (Generalitat de Catalunya). Nousol was created two years after the product had been patented and its headquarters were established in Granollers. In 2007, it began to produce solar panels in Rubí. Nousol is a family company, run by Xavier Pérez, his sister Dolors and his brother Baldo, who are the other two people who helped to get the company up and running.
“We created the product and now what we do is offer solutions”, explained Pérez. The applications are always “small and solar”. “We make lighting kits, automatic watering kits for urban vegetable gardens, solar-powered garden lights or solar mobile phone chargers”, stated those at Nousol. Each ClickCell measures 166 millimetres x 166 millimetres, has a power of 0.5 to 0.8 volts, costs between 30 and 38 euros, and can be bought over the Internet.
One of the most successful products in this first stage of the company is the solar mobile phone charger, and most orders are being received from Africa. The explanation is clear: “They have no electricity there, but they do have a lot of sun”, explained Pérez. “Suddenly, we found that many Africans were approaching our premises to request information on the charger. They were buying them for themselves and for their families”, he stated. According to Pérez, “mobiles can be charged in two hours. In many parts of Africa, people have to pay up to two euros to charge their phones”. Senegal, Mauretania or Guinea are three of the countries in which the sales have been highest.
“In general, people do not know how to use renewable energies. However, at the same time, the importance of energy saving is increasingly important. Therefore, I consider that school children should be trained in this area and that governments should boost this type of energy”, concluded Xavier Pérez.
This young entrepreneur realised that the idea needed a boost in the early stages. After an initial consultation with the Innova Programme, Pérez requested project funding from the Catalan government (Generalitat de Catalunya). Nousol was created two years after the product had been patented and its headquarters were established in Granollers. In 2007, it began to produce solar panels in Rubí. Nousol is a family company, run by Xavier Pérez, his sister Dolors and his brother Baldo, who are the other two people who helped to get the company up and running.
“We created the product and now what we do is offer solutions”, explained Pérez. The applications are always “small and solar”. “We make lighting kits, automatic watering kits for urban vegetable gardens, solar-powered garden lights or solar mobile phone chargers”, stated those at Nousol. Each ClickCell measures 166 millimetres x 166 millimetres, has a power of 0.5 to 0.8 volts, costs between 30 and 38 euros, and can be bought over the Internet.
One of the most successful products in this first stage of the company is the solar mobile phone charger, and most orders are being received from Africa. The explanation is clear: “They have no electricity there, but they do have a lot of sun”, explained Pérez. “Suddenly, we found that many Africans were approaching our premises to request information on the charger. They were buying them for themselves and for their families”, he stated. According to Pérez, “mobiles can be charged in two hours. In many parts of Africa, people have to pay up to two euros to charge their phones”. Senegal, Mauretania or Guinea are three of the countries in which the sales have been highest.
Pedagogical tool
Nousol’s ClickCells are also used in education. The weight and size of the solar panels marketed by this Catalan company mean they can be used in student practicals in schools, institutes, universities and research centres. Changing the power by fitting small panels together, creating electric circuits or measuring solar radiation are some of the applications that can be carried out by students. “The ClickCells are now being sold throughout Spain and Catalonia, and the UPC uses them for training”, explained their creator.“In general, people do not know how to use renewable energies. However, at the same time, the importance of energy saving is increasingly important. Therefore, I consider that school children should be trained in this area and that governments should boost this type of energy”, concluded Xavier Pérez.
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