Application of Colored Solar Panels on Municipal buildings in Sweden : The multiple benefits for an Innovative Renewable Society

Abstract: The purpose of this report is to understand how and why the diffusion of colored solar panels take place. A motive for the study is the fact that Sweden needs to reach the goal of a fossil free country by 2045, with one of the sub-goals of solar power contributing to 10 percent of the renewable energy production. Currently, Sweden's electricity production is only at 0.1 percent solar power. I have found that the innovation of colored solar panels could be a factor to contribute to the diffusion and increase in solar power. To analyze this hypothesis, two different methods were used. First, a literature study was conducted where the focus was on the history and diffusion of solar panels, in correlation to the fundamentals of colored solar panels. I also compared the two technologies regarding their efficiency and price, as well as how they differentiate in the market. Second, an interview study was conducted with 17 solar experts working in different cities across Sweden. The experts had different insights to bring from their different positions in the solar power industry. The results showed that standard and colored solar panels are highly interrelated, causing the colored solar panels to always be slightly less efficient than the standard module. The results also suggest that there is a high potential for colored solar panels in the future, and that there is a high need for marketing and reliable companies in order for the diffusion to happen. A major affecting factor for the diffusion of colored solar panels is architects, who have a large input in the design process of municipal buildings. Further research is needed in the development in the standard and colored module, as well as in the stability of colored solar panel companies.