Interview With Shiv Bhakta, Co-Founder of Active Surfaces
Welcome to the latest Founder Spotlight interview with Shiv Bhakta, Co-founder of Active Surfaces. Active Surfaces is a company specializing in innovative solar technology. The company aims to revolutionize solar energy deployment by creating ultra-thin, flexible solar panels that can be applied to various surfaces. This innovation significantly reduces installation costs and expands the potential for solar energy use in diverse environments. Let’s hear from Shiv Bhakta about how Active Surfaces has advanced the world of solar energy compared to traditional solar panels.
Can you share a bit about your background and what led you to find Active Surfaces?
I’m a Houston native (Go Cougars!) and worked for the Department of Energy /Exxon, so energy is in my blood. I’ve always been passionate about solving climate change and moving to Net Zero. I attended MIT for my MBA / Masters in Engineering to find a technical solution to combat emissions. During the MIT course 15.366:Climate and Energy Ventures, I met, and immediately hit it off with my co-founder, Dr. Richard Swartwout.
Richard and his lab had spent 10+ years researching and building an innovative flexible thin-film solar technology and were looking to commercialize. Over the next year we won 1st place at the Harvard Business School Climate Symposium, MIT $100K competition, and the Kajima Innovation Award. It’s been an amazing response from the community and validated the need for this in the world!
What is the core mission of Active Surfaces, and how does it align with current global sustainability goals?
We are on a mission to redefine solar energy’s role in combating climate change by unlocking vast solar potential where it was previously unimaginable. Pioneering an MIT-patented, ultra-thin film flexible solar technology, we envision transforming urban landscapes and other structurally limited areas into power-generating assets, significantly increasing solar adaptability to the built environment.
Can you explain the key features of your ultra-thin-film solar technology and what makes it revolutionary?
There are three key innovations of our technology (all patent protected) in manufacturing, packaging, and material/devices. Our roll-to-roll manufacturing process is significantly faster than other techniques and a lot cheaper at scale! The packaging we use is mechanically flexible, 100x thinner than glass-packaged silicon modules, and is more capable of withstanding harsh environments. Finally, our materials have record efficiencies in the Lab, using commodity scalable and stable materials.
I don’t have enough space here, but these advantages allow us to offer our solution at a lower cost and scale up manufacturing faster.
How does your technology compare to traditional solar solutions in terms of efficiency and application?
Our proprietary tech will have comparable efficiency to panels in the field today. Of course, our team will continue testing + making updates as needed as we scale up! I think where our solution truly shines is in the versatility of applications. Our solar modules are not only flexible but can also conform to virtually any surface. So now we can apply our modules to any surface so more people, in more places can get access to solar.
Additionally, we’re currently collaborating with industry-leading manufacturers to develop a non-invasive, easily removable adhesive application so that our modules are mobile too!
What are some of the biggest R&D challenges you’ve faced, and how did you overcome them?
We’ve got a rockstar team of literal “solar” scientists who are working on R&D every day at our Woburn Lab. One area we faced challenges was packaging for our modules and making sure we were using reliable materials.
Packing protects the device from harmful environmental factors such as oxygen and water, which can lead to premature failure. We now have IP for packaging that extends the lifetime of the solar device in the lab and we’re expecting a commercially viable lifetime in the field. Our current packaging is thinner and more durable while limiting delamination failure.
What are some of the primary markets you’re targeting with your ultra-light, thin solar modules?
One market we are targeting is commercial warehouse rooftops. There is 120 GW of energy potential in this market, yet only ~3% of commercial buildings have rooftop solar, lagging residential installations.
This market is attractive because: There is booming demand for distribution and warehousing as well as aggressive decarbonization goals for tenants and landlords.
Second, Active Surfaces have an unfair advantage in installation. Our panels are lighter so it is safer, easier, and takes less time to install. Additionally, we don’t have to drill any holes into the roof and can easily move the panels if a tenant moves!
What future innovations and developments can we expect from Active Surfaces?
Active Surfaces is focused on making the world a better place, so we will always take the necessary steps to reduce the environmental impact of our products. Researchers have demonstrated the feasibility of a circular materials economy, which aligns perfectly with our mission. Today there’s an estimated 1.5-year environmental payback period for materials used in solar modules vs renewable energy it then generates to offset emissions. Our innovative modules have the potential to achieve a step-change improvement in environmental payback.
MIT has demonstrated that by leveraging flexible perovskites, we minimize energy and material consumption during manufacturing. Our goal is to reduce our life cycle impact across energy, materials, water use, and waste. Together, we’re shaping a more sustainable future.
What solar and renewable energy trends are you most excited about?
We are thrilled to witness the resurgence of manufacturing on American soil. The pandemic underscored the vulnerabilities in our supply chain, particularly for essential infrastructure. This realization has only strengthened our conviction in planning to expand our manufacturing operations domestically.
We’re actively growing our team here, tapping into the technical and business talent around the US. At the same time, we recognize that solar energy and climate change solutions have no borders, so we remain committed to making all surfaces active, regardless of location!
What has been the most rewarding part of your journey with Active Surfaces so far?
The best part of my career is working with the incredible team behind Active Surfaces. It’s impossible to express enough gratitude, but I’ll share some standout moments: My co-founder, Richard, is a renowned solar expert who has even shared his work through TedX. I always tell my wife that the stars aligned for me to meet him! The rest of our team is incredible too – almost all with PhD backgrounds with 20+ years in roll-to-roll manufacturing experience. What stands out to me about the team though is their passion for combating emissions through Active Surfaces. I hope I leave them with a similar impression, or at least convince them on one of our 7 AM carpools to Woburn that Taylor Swift should sing at our next company outing.
