Translucent CEO Nour Mousa says: "The element of [solar electricity] predictability does not deviate beyond 5% tolerance across any given year from satellite readings. Coupled with batteries you could actually create any sort of availability or reliability of electricity anywhere on the planet.

Early in 2022 Translucent launched what it says is the world's first off-grid, ultra-fast smart EV charging infrastructure that utilises solar power. 

The EV-E compact and portable EV charging unit includes solar modules, energy storage, energy management system, and EV chargers. The solar modules are fixed on a prefabricated structure that is designed to allow for easy setup. During the day, end-users can power their EVs directly off the PV (photovoltaic) solar panel system, and at night through an energy storage system.

"You might have heard about supercapacitors from Back to the Future, but we are actually utilising it," says Mousa. "We have been able to tame the beast and store electricity for very long durations of time - weeks or months - without any energy leakage."

He adds that a key feature about Translucent's solution is the rapidity of the charge and discharge process. 

"We are able to charge a car as fast as 12 minutes, but there isn't a car on the planet today that can withstand that level of charging so typically we charge cars in 20 or 30 minutes," he adds.

The whole infrastructure is designed for efficient set-up and seamless operation requiring little maintenance.

Translucent operates across two main verticals - EV manufacturing and energy storage. The company has developed solar electricity projects with the World Bank. 

Mousa says: "On the solar panel side our customers range from utility-scale developers, commercial and industrial clients, and distributors to the residential sector. On the storage side our clients cover different applications, from EV infrastructure to microgrids and emergency energy relief."