Q&A: Nanoveu's new chairman Dr David Pevcic says the market opportunity for antifouling solar panel coatings is in the billions

Antiviral technology company Nanoveu (ASX:NVU) has enjoyed some success with its antivral products, centred around the Nanoshield film that uses a patented polymer of Cuprous embedded film to self-disinfect surfaces.

The company has its eyes on a variety of uses for its antiviral products and has just appointed a new director and non-executive chairman in Dr David Pevcic.

Dr Pevicc is a medical doctor and was previously a research physician at Linear Clinical Research, a leading Contract Research Organization (CRO) that conducts early and late-stage pharmaceutical trials, but he has experience in the resources sector as director of Battery Age Minerals (ASX:BM8).

Stockhead spoke to Dr Pevcic to find out what attracted him to join the company and what market opportunities the company sees for its antiviral products in the solar sector.

What attracted you to Nanoveu?

I joined Nanoveue because I believe the company has immense potential for growth in advancing unique films and coatings for next-generation applications.

I see major growth opportunities in the Nanoshield range of products, specifically in its ability to convey antimicrobial properties to a wide range of high-touch surfaces.

This is an innovative product range which can be applied to a diverse array of surfaces including touch-screen electronics, textiles, plastics, and mesh, and is suitable for use in healthcare settings. I’m particularly excited to see the company’s further innovation within Nanoshield, including the development of a unique product for the Solar Panel industry and for Aviation Laminates.

I’ve also been impressed with Nanoveu’s commitment to innovation and its ability to adapt to new and emerging markets. As the world starts to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a growing global awareness of the risks posed by high-touch surfaces when it comes to transmitting infections.

In addition to its existing offerings, the company is actively developing new technologies to address major industrial and wellness applications, cementing its position as a leader in the development of cutting-edge films and coatings.

What market opportunity do you see in solar panels?

The Nanoshield solution being developed for the solar industry is a testament to company’s ability to translate its deep knowledge of coatings and films to develop products with huge application potential.

The global solar energy systems market size was valued at US$160.3 billion in 2021 and is expected to register a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.7% from 2022 to 2030.

Solar panels in humid equatorial climates suffer from growth of algae and lichen, which not only reduces the panel performance if not cleaned but can result in the corrosion and eventual destruction of the assets over the long term.

The transparent coating developed by Nanoveu inhibits biofilm formation and algae growth (antifouling) whilst also reducing dirt and sand adherence to the panel, improving performance and reducing the maintenance requirements.

The company is currently embarking on more extensive trials in the Philippines and has identified 55MW of projects that are suitable candidates for this technology.

In addition to solar, the products’ antifouling capability may be useful for other major applications including shipping and offshore oil platforms, which requires further product testing.

What does the company have planned going into the rest of 2023?

On the back of the recently announced innovations for Solar and Aviation Laminate markets, the Company will continue to aggressively target the implementation of its antimicrobial Nanoveu range in large-scale, B2B opportunities.

We plan to invest significant resources in developing in-country partnerships, in order to tap into scalable distribution opportunities for our products.

India represents one such opportunity for Nanoveu – which is why we have entered into a Joint Venture with Alan Scott Industries Ltd[DP1], a publicly listed company in India.

Our respective teams’ are working diligently to pursue a number of applications for our product suite in India, and we hope to update the market on our progress in the near future.

The EyeFyx project also remains an area of focus for Nanoveu, as Presbyopia (long-sightedness) currently affects over 1 billion people worldwide.

Nanoveu is continuing to work with its partners at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore and in Japan to advance this technology towards a commercial solution.

We also just announced we have completed a research collaboration with A*STAR1 to develop a new product category in anti-flammable laminates for the aviation industry, to which we’re now adding our Nanoshield antiviral technology.