Solbian

Solbian started with a wager. Giovanni Soldini and Marco Bianucci (the most important Italian navigator and an affirmed physicist) wanted to use solar energy on racing yachts. It was 2006, and even though photovoltaics had become widespread, solar energy applications on moving vehicles were still in the pioneering stage and unsatisfactory, if the expensive systems on satellites are excluded. Something was missing. The photovoltaic modules used in building construction were too heavy, difficult to apply, with their rigid glass cover, ill-suited to the marine environment and poorly performing due to the inevitable shading on sailing boats.