Apollo Power

Apollo Power Strikes Strategic U.S. Deal to Install Solar Systems at 300 ARKO Fuel Stations

Posted on by Techtime

[Photo above: Apollo Power CEO Oded Rozenberg at the company’s plant in Mevo Carmel. Photo: Ilan Safra]

Apollo Power announced on Sunday that it has signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with GPM Investments, the wholly owned subsidiary of ARKO Corp — one of the largest fuel-station and convenience-store networks in the United States. Under the MOU, the companies will work over the next 60 days to finalize binding agreements, during which Apollo will hold full exclusivity for the development of solar projects across ARKO sites. Following the announcement, Apollo’s share price surged more than 8% on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange as of noon.

As part of the agreement, GPM will evaluate deploying Apollo’s technology at at least 300 sites across the U.S. These are large-scale turnkey projects — including design, engineering, construction, installation, and grid connection — with an estimated cumulative value of $53 million, expected to roll out over several years.

ARKO Corp is a major American operator listed in the Fortune 500 and the full owner of GPM Investments. The company oversees an extensive network of more than 3,500 fuel stations and convenience stores across roughly 30 U.S. states. Its operations span four main segments: retail at company-operated stations and stores; wholesale fuel sales to independent dealers; fleet-fueling services via dedicated fueling sites and fuel cards; and GPM Petroleum, which supplies fuel to both retail and wholesale locations.

As a large and long-established player, ARKO has in recent years been looking for new ways to generate additional value from its real-estate footprint — including the adoption of renewable-energy systems.

Apollo develops and manufactures lightweight, flexible solar sheets that can be installed even on rooftops and structures unable to support traditional solar panels. The company’s proprietary technology enables factories, logistics centers, and commercial facilities to turn nearly any sun-exposed surface into a power-generating asset.

The collaboration with ARKO could become one of Apollo’s most significant projects to date, strengthening its position as a leading technology provider in the U.S. distributed-energy market. For ARKO, the partnership represents an opportunity to monetize thousands of rooftops and forecourt structures through solar generation. For Apollo, it marks a meaningful entry point into the vast American market, backed by a partner with nationwide scale and visibility.

“Apollo’s ability to generate solar energy from rooftops that cannot carry standard panels offers a major advantage,” said Apollo CEO Oded Rozenberg. “It enables fuel-station owners to turn their real estate into an additional income stream.”

Apollo Power’s giant client is Volkswagen

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Apollo Power has officially launched its new flexible solar panel factory in the Mevoe-Carmel park at Yoqne’am. The new factory can produce 190 mw (16 million square feet of film) annually. The company estimates this is the largest solar film factory in the world and the first of its kind in Israel. It is composed of two buildings with a total area of 2.5 acres. With a cost of more than $100 million NIS, it took more than a year and a half to construct the factory.  

The present factory can produce 10 mw films, mainly for pilot projects and short series. The new factory provides the company with a 20-fold increase in production capacity and marks a significant boost to the company’s commercialization. Among other reasons, increasing production capabilities was done to realize the agreement with Tadiran Solar, which obliges the company to deliver a minimal amount of 26 mw films. Tadiran Solar will be Apollo’s exclusive distributor in the light roof market in Israel. 

Any available surface could turn into a power generator

The new factory’s products will also be supplied to one of the most prestigious clients in the automotive world. In May 2022, Apollo reported the signing of its first commercial contract in the automotive industry. Today, it reveals its identity: Volkswagen, the giant German automobile manufacturer, which ordered dozens of thousands of solar films with a total value of €33 million. Those films are designed to be integrated with Volkswagen’s models in the After Market phase and are planned for delivery in mid-2024.

Apollo’s CEO, Oded Rosenberg [pictured above], told Techtime that the company’s vision is “to turn any surface under the sun into a power generator. Conventional panels are large, heavy, and breakable and, thus, cannot be installed anywhere. Our main target markets are solar films for roofs, Floating Solar, and the automotive industry – where we have the most significant competitive advantage”. Apollo was founded in 2014 and joined the Tel-Aviv stock exchange in 2017. Thanks to the films’ elasticity and their lightweight, they are easily deployed on bumpy surfaces, thus utilizing areas and buildings incapable of using conventional panels.

Apollo’s solar films integrated into the roof and the hood

Quiet, low-priced energy

Using flexible films is primarily suitable for the electric and hybrid vehicles market since they are light and capable of being deployed all over the vehicle’s surface, such as the roof and the hood. In addition, this technique provides the car with an additional energy source which, in turn, allows for a greater range or, alternatively, reduces battery volume. Also, these films are more resistant to vibrations.

In the fleet market, Apollo designates its films to be deployed on trucks and buses’ roofs. The israeli retailer Osem, for instance, has already deployed films on around 90 delivery trucks. They are also suitable for fuel-operated buses and trucks, where electrical systems are used for loading and unloading. Rosenberg: “Currently, the busses and trucks market is the largest. Hundreds of buses around the globe are equipped with our films, which save the operators about 5% of their fuel consumption. They also contribute to noise reduction in an urban environment since the engine is not in use while unloading. The ROI in this area is fast, usually an average of a year”.

The film turns into an integral part of the car’s roof and hood 

In the private car market, the company has the Volkswagen order and initial cooperations with Audi and Hyundai, which have not yet been commercialized. At the Audi pilot, the integration of the film in the roof and the hood is carried out in the vehicle’s manufacturing phase. The film is attached to the chassis by compressing, making them an inseparable, esthetic component of the vehicle’s surface. “For several years, Audi tried to turn the roof into a power producer, and they succeeded with us. This is because our solar films are flexible, stay stable during the production process, and their performance is steady despite the car’s vibrations”. According to Rosenberg, the Audi project is in its advanced development stages.

The company has reported that its product energy utilization reached 16.75% now, which is a relatively high rate compared to competitive solutions. The weight of each film is 1-4 oz for sqft. “In the flexible solar market, our films are the most efficient, flexible, and inexpensive, thanks to unique coating materials, advanced production methods, and intricated optics. In addition, we put much effort into catching up with the conventional panels, which currently provide a 21% utilization rate”.

 

Audi to explore Apollo Power On-vehicle Solar Sheets

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Yokneam-based (north of Israel) Apollo Power has signed an MoU with Audi AG to examine the integration of Apollo’s flexible solar sheets technology into cars made by Audi or another brand of Volkswagen Group. During the first 12 months of the agreement, the technology will be evaluated and tested. Following this, the parties will develop relevant products for Hybrid/Electrical vehicles, and after achieving certain milestones, they will introduce products to be integrated in future vehicle models. Apollo Power’s stock rose by about 30% on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.

Apollo Power has developed flexible solar sheet technology that can be adapted to the needs of the Automotive industry. Last year it conducted a series of experiments in collaboration with BWR, in which a 1.2-square-meter solar sheet was installed on the roof of a Kia Niro family car. According to the research company Market Study Report, the market for flexible solar sheets will grow at an annual rate of 8.7% in the next 5 years, reaching $610 million in 2024.

A solar solution for non-flat surfaces

Founded in 2014, Apollo Power is controlled by Westar Holdings (61%) and its operations are carried out through its wholly-owned subsidiary SolarPaint. Its main target markets are floating solar, automotive, and off grid applications. Thanks to their elasticity and low weight, the solar sheets can be easily deployed on top of uneven surfaces, and thus utilize structures and areas where hard and heavy panels cannot be installed. The main disadvantage of flexible solar sheets lies in their lower energy conversion efficiency compared to rigid solar panels.

Apollo Power’s technology and composition of materials are protected by undisclosed registered patents. According to the company, it has achieved 13.6% conversion efficiency – relatively high compared to competing solutions. The sheets weight 1 kg per square meter. The use of flexible sheets is particularly suitable for the electric and hybrid vehicle industry, as their light weight allows them to be positioned over the entire surface of the vehicle, including the roof and hood, and thus attain an additional energy source to increase the vehicle’s range, or to reduce the batteries’ capacity.

The company is building a semi-automatic production line commissioned from a European manufacturer specializing in machines for the solar industry has recently arrived in Israel. It is considered the first production line of its kind in Israel, and it is planned to start operating as early as in 2020. Its production output is expected to reach up to 6 MWp per year.