Can this duo create the world's coolest windows?
These new glazing technologies will work together to slash the carbon footprint of buildings.
A new prototype that blends technology from two glazing innovators will create a vacuum insulated window that can also generate energy.
The new creation, dubbed the ‘Zero Window’, will combine technological breakthroughs from different sides of the globe and will go on show in June.
Australian company ClearVue Technologies will combine its solar glazing tech – which generates electricity from clear glass – with vacuum insulated glazing technology from US company LuxWall.
Buildings and construction generate close to 40 per cent of global carbon emissions, according to estimates, making efforts to decarbonise the sector a growing priority.
In addition to being able to generate power, the clear-glass Zero Window will offer lower heat transfer due to its thermal insulation properties and is expected to be the most energy-efficient and energy-generating window on the market, according to its makers.
The companies, which last month announced they had signed a collaboration agreement, say the Zero Window will help the building sector reduce its carbon emissions, meet sustainability targets and ultimately achieve net zero.
“Imagine a window that insulates as well as a wall and actively generates clean power while preserving clarity and natural daylighting. The Zero Window will empower architects and builders to design a sustainable future.”
“This collaboration represents a pivotal moment in the fight against climate change for the construction sector – one of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions globally,” ClearVue CEO Martin Deil said.
“We are excited to partner with LuxWall on this innovative product. Vacuum insulated windows provide the best thermal performance products 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.”
LuxWall CEO Scott Thomsen also spoke of ClearVue Technologies and LuxWall's common vision. "Our companies will collaborate to develop a window that significantly reduces building emissions, rewriting the rules of energy efficiency and power generation from the building envelope.
“Imagine a window that insulates as well as a wall and actively generates clean power while preserving clarity and natural daylighting. The PV VIGU or Zero Window will empower architects and builders to design a sustainable future,” Thomsen said.
LuxWall is backed by climate-tech investors Breakthrough Energy, 2150, Khosla Ventures, Baruch Future Ventures, and Prelude Ventures, and ClearVue is listed on the Australian Stock Exchange.
The Zero Window prototype will be unveiled at the AIA Conference on Architecture & Design 2024 which is being held in Washington DC in June.
The combined technologies of ClearVue and LuxWall will result in a new double-glazed format photovoltaic vacuum insulated glazing unit. ClearVue says its contribution will enable the clear glass window to generate electricity from clear glass thanks to solar PV cells that are integrated around the edges of the glass, a lamination interlayer between the glass that incorporates patented nano and micro particles, and spectrally selective coating on the rear external surface of the glass. LuxWall will contribute its vacuum insulation technology which it says can cut heating costs by up to 45 per cent, providing thermal insulating values comparable to wall insulation.
