Smart window company sees buildings as renewable energy hubs – pv magazine International

July 8, 2024 Eva Foley

From pv magazine Australia

Perth-based intelligent building screening solutions specialist ClearVue Technologies has secured a further order from commercial greenhouse solutions provider System USA for a demo showroom.

This follows another US partnership signed in early 2024 with glazing company LuxWall to develop and market a window that combines solar-powered ClearVue glazing with advanced LuxWall vacuum-insulated glazing. The Zero Window is expected to deliver lower heating and cooling costs and offset the building’s energy needs by generating renewable energy on-site.

ClearVue Technologies Global CEO Martin Deil said the combination of these technologies will create a benchmark solution that will revolutionize the way buildings are designed and constructed.

“Window Zero will truly be a net-zero focused window, reducing carbon emissions through both thermal insulation and energy generation,” Deil said.

In April 2024, ClearVue received its first commercial order in Australia from construction company Kapitol Group to install second-generation building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) windows on the façade of the Construction, Forestry, Maritime and Employees Union’s (CFMEU) new training and wellness centre in Carlton, Victoria.

Deil said the CFMEU project shows the technology can be easily integrated into designs. The ClearVue Solar Vision Glass product also passed fire safety tests, another first for BIPV.

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“Fire resistance and flammability of building materials have long been a major obstacle for the construction industry to adopt BIPV technologies, as they are unable to meet the same fire safety criteria as non-solar building materials,” Deil said.

In June 2024, the company announced that it had expanded its solar product offering to include solar panels, solar cladding, and architectural BIPV glass for skylights and balustrades.

ClearVue also developed new sales tools, including High-Rise Archetype-3 thermal modeling software, to demonstrate how its Power Facade products can improve thermal performance, energy generation and consumption in a 40-story office building.