Clean living goes modular
Solar glass maker joins forces with a prefab housing innovator to create a net-zero home.
Australian solar glass and cladding pioneer ClearVue is collaborating on a net-zero prefabricated housing trial.
The ASX-listed company recently partnered with Australian modular housing business Prefabulous to develop an eco-friendly, energy-generating prototype.
The pilot project's new prototype will be called 'FabZero' and will be designed to achieve a net-zero energy footprint, supporting Australia’s net-zero goals and at the same time tackling the country’s housing crisis.
ClearVue’s solar glazing and cladding panels will be integrated directly into FabZero’s design, creating a model for sustainable living.
"We are supporting the development of sustainable, energy-efficient homes that align with global net-zero goals"
The prototype is expected to be completed by early next year. If it proves successful, Prefabulous could start offering ClearVue’s solar technology as a regular feature in its product lineup.
For ClearVue, this partnership opens doors to the $15.4 billion modular housing market, where interest in solar-powered prefabricated homes is steadily growing in both Australia and the United States.
ClearVue CEO Martin Deil said the collaboration would broaden ClearVue’s market reach and help bring solar technology into mainstream housing.
“We are also supporting the development of sustainable, energy-efficient homes that align with global net-zero goals,” he said.
ClearVue has already expanded into the United States, Europe, and more recently, the Middle East, North Africa, and India through a new partnership with Qatari glass and façade company Alutec.
Pushing the envelope
ClearVue initially made its mark with solar glazing but has evolved into a provider of solar building envelope solutions – essentially, transforming entire building surfaces, from windows to walls, into sources of solar energy.
The company’s expansion into solar cladding panels highlights the versatility of solar power, showing that energy generation is no longer limited to rooftops. This approach enhances the energy efficiency of buildings by leveraging multiple surfaces, from windows to exterior cladding.
In a major milestone, ClearVue secured its first envelope order in Perth at the landmark Enex100 building on St George’s Terrace. The project will incorporate ClearVue’s solar cladding into the construction of an equipment screen, scheduled for completion in mid-2025.
The Enex100 building, a mixed-use retail and commercial property undergoing a $40 million redevelopment, will soon feature over 200 pure black PV building envelope modules integrated into a framing system. Once installed, the entire façade will contribute to the building’s energy production – a step forward in sustainable design.
ClearVue's focus is on the building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) space with products that weave solar technology into building surfaces, especially glass and façades. The company’s BIPV lineup includes solar windows that look like regular glass yet produce electricity. Each of ClearVue’s integrated glazing units (IGUs) is a transparent, double-glazed panel with a laminated layer in between. This layer contains nano- and microparticles that capture ultraviolet and infrared light, with thin solar strips embedded along the window’s internal edges converting it into electricity. ClearVue's cladding range doesn’t contain this proprietary technology but instead operates more like regular solar panels that contribute to a building's energy efficiency.
