Solar power generating windows company ClearVue has inked a collaboration partnership with US-based vacuum glazing company LuxWall to develop a combined technology prototype the duo have trademarked as “Zero Window”. The partners are seeking to combine ClearVue’s power-generating solar photovoltaic integrated glazing units with LuxWall’s similarly multi-glazed product which protects against heat loss and noise transference with a view to changing the way buildings are designed and constructed.
The partnership pairs two companies that share common design techniques comprising multiple glazing panels.
Following several recent Australian and international manufacturing and supply agreements, ClearVue is successfully selling its power-generating solar photovoltaic integrated glazing units (IGUs), also referred to as building-integrated photovoltaic units (BIPV), in Australia and abroad, including on both east and west coasts of the US.
Vacuum insulated windows provide the best thermal performance and minimize energy use. ClearVue technology can enhance that thermal performance even further and generate electricity at the same time, providing clean energy on site and helping meet sustainability targets. By combining our technologies, we can be part of a revolution in the way buildings are designed and constructed. The market for double-glazed vacuum insulated glass in North America is expected to grow in the next five years propelled by changes in legislation and partnering with glazing innovators like LuxWall is a strategic avenue for ClearVue to enter the North American façade market. ClearVue Technologies global chief executive officer Martin Deil
ClearVue’s IGUs employ a multi-glazing panel design with a spectrally reflective backing and an intervening proprietary transparent laminate containing innovative nano- and micro-particles to capture and redirect solar energy to solar photo-voltaic (PV) power-generating strips mounted around the inner window frame.
The IGUs not only generate electrical energy to offset other costs of power supply or defray running costs of the building in which they are installed, but also serve to insulate and cool the interior of the building because of the air-space between the glass layers and the selective sideways redirection of some of the sun’s energy.
Recent independent testing by Singapore’s peak building authority highlighted ClearVue’s technology offering a significant 22.8 per cent reduction in solar heat gain. The multi-layer design also serves to quieten the interior of the building against exterior noise.
LuxWall’s similarly multi-glazed product utilises a vacuum between two glass layers, meaning that not only is heat transference from the exterior largely eliminated but in cold weather, heat loss from the interior is also minimized or eliminated, accompanied by a reduction in noise transference across the installed pane.
It says its technology can reduce heating costs by up to 45 per cent – a significant imperative in the company’s high latitude location.
LuxWall says its products have similar thermal insulating qualities as wall insulation of comparable thickness, with the bonus that, unlike most wall and ceiling insulations which degrade or slump over time, a well maintained or preserved vacuum cannot do either.
When technologies from the two companies are combined, they will yield a new double-glazed photovoltaic vacuum insulated glazing unit (“PV VIGU”) which the alliance expects will thermally outperform all existing double-glazed window insulation and also generate power from the glass.
The surplus power produced can reduce overall building operating costs as well as power to operate potentially a host of in-building services, from alarms to surveillance equipment, cooling or recirculation fans, pot plant irrigation and so on, representing a creative and efficient glazing solution to assist with achieving net-zero construction and building operation goals.
According to the company, the final glazing product will almost certainly possess unique properties such as optical transparency, lowest heat gain, and the highest energy generation currently possible for clear solar glass.
LuxWall was founded in 2016 and is based in the northern state of Michigan in the US. The state experiences large seasonal changes in temperature, with warm, humid summers and cold winters.
The partnership sees its trademarked “Zero Window” potentially meeting high demand from sustainability-conscious architects and developers seeking to reduce in-built carbon emissions and achieve top LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification, the world’s most common green building rating system.
The alliance expects to have a prototype of its “Zero Window” available for demonstration at the American Institute of Architects Conference on Architecture and Design in Washington DC in June this year.
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