GDF SUEZ : Laborelec welcomes a solar car on the Linkebeek site !

The solar car participated to the World Solar Challenge in Adelaide (Australia) during last summer. As  technical partner, Laborelec contributed to the testing of the performances of the photovoltaic panels before installation on the car and by insuring electrical safety points recognized as crucial in this competition. Adaptations were proposed during design and realization phases, leading to these excellent results .

After a race of 3000 km, the Indupol One solar car passed the finish line in sixth position and won the Technical Innovation Award. A nice result for the Belgian Punch Powertrain Solar Team, leading this biannual project.

The testimony from Mattijs Plettinx, Punch Powertrain Solar Team Manager is clear: «Thanks to the electro-luminance tests realized by Laborelec, we controlled and accordingly adapted our solar panel and therefore gained an efficiency of 5.7% on direct input. Following the recommendations, the vehicle underwent some adjustments which led to the nomination of electrically safest and most robust solar car of the whole competition on the World Championships. We would like to thank Laborelec as our partner for checking this with us and so creating a high end finish of the solar car.»

LABORELEC, Group's subsidiary within the Energy Europe business line,  is part of the GDF SUEZ Research and Technologies Division, as one of the research centers for research and skills in electricity technology. Laborelec supports GDF SUEZ in the development of new photovoltaic projects through yield assessments, plant design improvements and selection of modules and critical electrical components such as inverters. At the same time Laborelec stays at the forefront of technology evolutions through its performance monitoring program, by testing the performance of new and emerging photovoltaic technologies in real outdoor conditions.