Global Companies are solar

They are global concerns and have been very little in common. But go now, both Dow Chemical and the Samsonite suitcase producer on the solar rails. The message is clear: The future is solar.

The two companies forth in the following messages are PR-like thousands of other articles. And yet they cause a stir. They show that more and more traditional big companies worry about how they can jump on the approach Solarzug. Let us surprise you:

Dow Chemical says it is ready for its thin-film solar roofing shingles to go on sale next year — one of the first technologies to make solar panels and roofs one and the same, and a step toward increasing the affordability and physical appeal of going solar for residential consumers. Dubbed the “Powerhouse” line, the shingles do for rooftop solar what Apple has done for mobile phones: make functional look sexy.

But not so fast. The shingles are still being put through rigorous tests. Dow wants to ensure that the shingles it churns out can live up to the 25-year warranty it plans to offer (standard for the roofing industry). The shingles themselves are pretty pricey, covering 4 square feet and carrying a price tag of $40 each after government subsidies.

Ascent Solar Technologies, Inc., a developer of flexible thin-film solar modules, announced today that Samsonite, the worldwide leader in travel solutions, has selected flexible light-weight CIGS modules from Ascent Solar to be integrated into its new line of solar consumer products being initially rolled out this summer. The two companies have been working together through product development and today’s development symbolizes the progress and innovation from both companies to make portable power a part of an everyday product from a global leader in its industry.

Lynne Berard, Samsonite VP Sales & Marketing stated, “As our lives depend more and more on mobile electronics and the need to power and carry such devices, we believe that integrating solar panels into our carrying case solutions will be a game changer in the industry. By utilizing the unique, flexible, lightweight and subtle modules from Ascent, we are able to provide our customers with power on the go, while not compromising our stringent standards for quality and style.”

© Solarmedia / Quellen: GlobalSolar, GreenBeat