Innovator Jonas Hammar has developed efficient solar panels.
His idea was highly rewarded
Paper Province supports innovative private individuals with up to SEK 50,000. The requirement is that you have a business concept that contributes to sustainable development.
Jonas Hammar is one of those who received the support.
“It’s been extremely valuable to me,” he says.
Sollefteåbon Jonas Hammar produces heat from solar energy. He has developed a way to get solar panels to give more power and more energy – even in very cloudy weather.
“I focus on reducing heat loss and making the panels work longer in the winter”, he says.
He began to take an interest in solar energy as early as school age.
“At nine, I made a solar collector on the technique that the classmates grilled sausage on”, he recalls.
Worked beyond expectation
In 2015, he resigned from the job as a data salesman at IBM in Dublin to pursue his dream
“I wanted to do something that everyone benefits from”.
Jonas moved to Sollefteå and started working at Eon corporate customer service as an energy consultant and solar panel expert with the aim of learning everything about Sweden’s energy needs. Meanwhile, he developed his own panels, labeling and testing. It turned out that his ideas worked beyond expectation.
Reduced carbon dioxide emissions
Now he is at the finish line. Solfirman AB is undergoing training, the patent has been filed and several large corporate customers have already shown interest.
“Talks with Övik’s energy and two other district heating companies are being conducted. Another company, one of Sweden’s largest, will test the panels and if it turns out well, they will install over 600 panels on one wall”.
The solar panels heat the air and allow for large energy savings. It is twenty times easier to heat air than water, Jonas explains.
“It is extremely effective. The panels utilize 90 percent of the sunlight and convert it into heat. Customers can cut their heating costs by half and do a great service to the environment through reduced carbon dioxide emissions and cleaner air”.
Take advantage of the sun’s rays
Solfirman’s panels are placed on the walls and not as traditional on the roofs.
“In large parts of Sweden, snow is on the roofs for several months. The time when the property owner needs the heat the most. By placing them on the wall you can take advantage of the sun’s rays even when the sun is low in the sky”.
The biofuel can be used for other purposes
Another advantage, Jonas thinks, is that district heating plants that use his panels become less dependent on biofuel and that the chips can be used for other more refined products.
-“Forest raw material is extremely valuable for Sweden. It is the one that will help us replace oil. I think it is better to use it for, for example, the production of aviation fuel, oils and textiles than to be fired at district heating plants”.
Support for innovators in the early stages
In the project Support to innovators in the early stages, Paper Province awards grants to innovators with climate-smart ideas together with the industrial clusters Triple Steelix in Bergslagen and Processum in Västernorrland. It is a way of helping idea carriers throughout Sweden to advance in the process at an early stage in order to eventually get their product or service on the market. The money comes from state Vinnova.
With the aid, Jonas Hammar has been able to develop measuring equipment and programming services.
“The support is an incredibly valuable contribution to my development. Thanks to the measuring equipment, I have been able to improve the panels and made them thirty percent more efficient”.
Read more about the project Support for innovators in the early stages here.
