Lurederra is a technological center in Northern Spain, that carries out research and applied technological development activities. Lurederra is active in the fields of nanotechnology, new materials and advanced environment, and works at the service of companies and economical agents at both national and international level, including the subsequent implementation of the innovations developed in the industrial production centers.
Aware of the fundamental role of enterprises as generators of economic and social welfare, Lurederra makes available to their industrial network its own means for R & D in terms of technologies, processes and even materials, which should always result in a competitiveness improvement for the business sector. These improvements are more feasible due to the uniqueness of Lurederra technologies, which can generate high-value industrial products.
Lurederra has developed its own technology to manufacture completely synthetic nanoparticles, which provides flexibility in the desired morphology and size. This gives Lurederra control of the nanoparticle chemical activity, specificity and selectivity, allowing to them produce different types of nanoparticles for such varied uses as polishes lenses, catalysts and photovoltaic cells, among others.
The great versatility of the FSP technology (Flame Spray Pyrolysis) developed by Lurederra allows the company to produce ceramic and metallic oxides nanoparticles (simple and multicomponent) of more than 60 elements of the Periodic Table as well as nanoparticles of noble metals.
Lurederra is currently able to provide specific nanoproducts developed and customized for specific industrial applications of its customers. These products include, for example, nonstick and anticorrosion coatings for metals, coatings that provide properties of high water and oil repellency to substrates as diverse as construction materials, textiles, paper and plastics or heat barrier properties for crystals.
In the field of protecting and improving photovoltaic modules, Lurederra has developed a series of nanotechnological-based coatings that bring new features to solar panels. Within the Super PV project, the following PV related innovations stand out:
- Easy-to-clean solutions. With the aim of reducing the operational cost of solar panel cleaning processes, a series of hydrophobic and hydrophilic coatings have been developed that facilitate easier surface cleaning.
- Anti-Powder solutions. With a hydrophilic effect, Lurederra has developed a coating that prevents the grip of dirt particles on the surface. Therefore, the number of cleaning operations throughout the life of the module is reduced.
- Anti-reflection solutions. Lurederra has also worked on the development of a coating with an anti-reflection effect (within the visible wavelength range). In addition, this solution is compatible with the previous ones, which facilitates the multiplication of the effects.
The application of the different nanotechnology-based coatings developed by Lurederra allows for increased efficiency of PV modules (anti-reflective) while reducing losses due to soiling or ice, for example, and the costs related to the cleaning of the modules (easy-to-clean and anti-powder). As can be seen in the image on the left, the treated area remains clean when dirty water is in contact with the surface (Fig1, Left). In the image on the right the treated panels present a thinner layer of snow, which allows the panel to produce more energy in comparison to the untreated panel.
