TEG Panels (Thermally Expanded Graphite Panels)

Overview

TEG Panels replace silicon with thermally expanded graphite as the light-absorbing material. Three properties of TEG drive the concept: the surface is one atom thick, so electric charges move only in the horizontal plane; the specific surface area is enormous — one square centimetre of graphene is equivalent to several football fields — which raises the volume of light that can be absorbed; and the material is completely black, giving maximum efficiency in using sunlight.

Calculated efficiency reaches theoretically 35 % and above, against the typical 24 % ceiling of conventional silicon panels. Research is underway on energy exchange between TEG panels that would let them release energy accumulated during the day at night — removing the need for battery storage, which is costly and requires frequent replacement.

Applications

Solar generation in place of silicon photovoltaics. Building-integrated forms: wall panels, roofing tiles, facade components. The material's resistance to temperature fluctuation and mechanical damage, and its light weight and flexibility, permit structural forms silicon cannot take.

Operating Principle

Thermally expanded graphite provides both the absorbing surface and the conductive path. Excellent mechanical properties and high electrical conductivity enhance energy collection and transmission. The atomic-scale thickness confines charge movement to the horizontal plane. The completely black colour and the very large surface area together maximize the fraction of incident light absorbed and converted.

Under development: an energy-exchange technology between panels enabling release at night of energy accumulated during the day, giving round-the-clock operation without a separate storage system.

Detailed conversion mechanism: [требует уточнения из базы]

Key Parameters

| Parameter | TEG Panels | Silicon panels |

|---|---|---|

| Efficiency | theoretically 35 % and above | typically up to 24 % |

| Colour | completely black | — |

| Charge movement | horizontal plane only (one-atom surface thickness) | — |

| Surface area | 1 cm² of graphene ≈ several football fields | — |

| Battery storage required | no — day-to-night energy exchange under development | yes |

| Structural forms | wall panels, roofing tiles, facade components | rigid flat modules |

| Weight and flexibility | lighter, flexible | rigid |

| Resistance | high to temperature fluctuation and mechanical damage | — |

| Feedstock cost | TEG powder at industrial scale, below silicon | — |

> Неоднозначность в источнике. По сроку службы сказано, что панели «сохраняют эффективность более 5–7 лет, в отличие от стандартных». Цифра 5–7 лет ниже типового срока службы кремниевых панелей, поэтому формулировка требует уточнения — вероятно имелся в виду иной показатель.

Architecture and Components

Panel body formed from thermally expanded graphite; manufacturable in multiple structural forms — wall panel, roof tile, facade element. Lighter and more flexible than silicon modules, easing integration into building envelopes. Energy-exchange interconnection between panels is in research.

Detailed construction: [требует уточнения из базы]

Advantages

Physical: efficiency theoretically above 35 % against 24 % for silicon; complete black colour for maximum light capture; very large absorbing surface area; high electrical conductivity aiding both collection and transmission.

Structural: manufacturable as wall panels, roof tiles and facade components rather than only as flat modules; lighter and flexible; resistant to temperature swings and mechanical damage.

System-level: the planned day-to-night energy exchange would remove batteries from the installation entirely — eliminating both their capital cost and their replacement cycle.

Economic: Arbok-TEG technology produces graphene powder at industrial scale at a cost below silicon panels, so the feedstock advantage carries through to panel cost.

Integrations

AEROGRAPH (Graphene AeroGel) · Arbok-BlackBody System (ABBS) · ThermaVolt · GrapheneVoltaic Collector · TEG-BETON · ARBOK-NaTEG

Shares the Arbok-TEG production base with the rest of the graphite line; building-integrated forms connect to construction materials rather than to conventional solar mounting.

Deployment & Operation

Deployment as building envelope elements — wall, roof, facade — or as conventional panel arrays.

Installation procedure, service regime and lifetime data: [требует уточнения из базы]

TRL

Concept per LIST OF INNOVATIONS-100. Formal TRL rating: TRL 5 — проставлен Михаилом 2026-08-06.

Market Potential

[требует уточнения из базы]

The stated positioning is against silicon photovoltaics on three fronts simultaneously: conversion efficiency, elimination of battery storage, and integration into the building envelope rather than mounting on top of it.

Typical Project Economics

Cost logic stated qualitatively: Arbok-TEG produces graphene powder at industrial scale below the cost of silicon panels, reducing overall production cost for the panels.

Risk Factors

Status is Concept — no prototype, no measured efficiency, no field data are recorded. The 35 % figure is explicitly a calculation, not a measurement. The day-to-night energy exchange that removes batteries from the system is described as research underway rather than a demonstrated capability, and it is the single feature carrying most of the economic argument. The lifetime statement in the source is internally unclear and needs correction before external use.

Related Technologies

AEROGRAPH (Graphene AeroGel) · Arbok-BlackBody System (ABBS) · ThermaVolt · GrapheneVoltaic Collector · eWATT · ARBIATOR