The following maximum parameters were measured during the field testing of Murdoch University Greenhouse samples from the roof of Grow Room 3 (windows of dimensions 1.1m x 1.2m):

Isc = 0.98 A; Voc = 61 V, at the ambient temperature above 30C and at solar cells temperature above 40C.

These measured data show that the power outputs measured in field conditions were in excess of 30 Wp/m², in windows with adjusted interlayer composition compared to systems made in 2019.

(Pmax = Isc * Voc * FF, where the Fill Factor (FF) was above 0.75; Pmax > 33 W/m²).

Measured at oblique light incidence angles.

Measurements at different light levels completed by CENER (Spain), 2019

Measurements completed by TUV-SUD (China), 2019

All lab measurements were performed at standard test conditions (STC, cell temperature 25C, input 1000W/m² at normal incidence)

Yes.  During the UL and TUV-SUD certification process, comprehensive third-party certified laboratory product testing was completed.

All lab measurements were performed at standard test conditions (STC, cell temperature 25C, input 1000W/m² at normal incidence)

How Can I become a Distributor?

Whether the opportunity to become a distributor is available or not will be dependent upon existing distribution relationships that may be in place in your region. The best way to find this out is by emailing us at licensing@clearvuepv.com to initiate discussions.

If no existing distributor exists in your region the next step will be for us to enter into a Non-Disclosure Agreement with you in order for us to give you more information about the company, product and technology and for us to consider your suitability to become a distributor which may require certain due diligence by the ClearVue team.

How can I become a Manufacturer (and/or Distributor)?

As with distribution rights, the right to become a licensed manufacturer (with or without distribution rights) will depend upon existing arrangements in your region.

ClearVue’s due diligence requirements for appointment of a manufacturer will be stricter than for appointment of distributors as production capacity and product quality control will be paramount considerations for the ClearVue team.

Is there a Licence Fee?

Typically for the appointment of a manufacturer a licence fee will apply.

We have not yet seen internal electric failures occurring in Clearvue prototypes or products under their expected normal operating conditions. The fault probability is reduced (compared to the conventional stand-alone silicon PV panels mounted on roofs), due to the careful design of internal electric circuitries and the fact that per unit module area, less power is generated. It can hardly be expected that any semitransparent windows would generate the amounts of power similar to silicon PV, regardless of BIPV technology selected. The wide range of stringent environmental conditions to which ClearVue windows were exposed during UL certification testing (prolonged exposure to dry heat, damp and heat, water immersion, etc) confirms their reliability. At the circuit level (building installations involving groups of windows wired together), again, we pay special attention to the electric circuit design features preventing the faults, and also mitigating their effects. In the unlikely future cases of failures, there will be either no stringent need to replace 1 window out of hundreds/thousands, or the options accessible to bypass the window electrically without replacing it as a structural unit. Most likely failure points are outside of the window and accessible.

In the US please see: https://www.dsireusa.org/

The default simple answer is a definite Yes, due to radically improving the overall energy efficiency, compared to even installing the best of low-e coated double- or triple-glazed windows. Star ratings are jurisdiction-dependent.

Please contact us for a Feasibility Study for your specific project.

Each country has its own national building codes and therefore it depends on where the product is to be installed. For example, in Australia, the product must be fabricated and constructed in accordance with Australian Standards (AS) and National Construction Code (NCC).

Please contact us for a Feasibility Study for your specific project at which time we can assess relevant building codes etc.

ClearVue has a number of research programs and research partners operating at any one time around the globe. A couple of current research programs include:

• Inorganic Quantum Dots – University of New South Wales.
• Greenhouse at Murdoch University – Plant Science Trials with Murdoch University and Power Performance and Energy Savings Trials with Edith Cowan University and the company.

Yes of course – like all technology companies entering a new field of enterprise there are always going to be competitors. We do not see that as a problem – in fact we are happy for the competition as it proves that a large opportunity exists for products of this type – if we didn’t have competitors, we would be worried!

The competitors that are already in the market with product to sell have tinted or coloured glass or glass with solar PV elements visible in the glass itself and so are not truly clear and transparent. These products all have a place – ClearVue’s ultra-clear product will be suitable in instances where visual acuity is a paramount requirement, competitor products may be suited where maximum visibility is not a requirement.

Most of the newer potential competitors to the ClearVue technology and product are at an earlier stage than the ClearVue product and do not have a product ready for sale. Once ready these competitors will likely need to seek certification of their products before they can be sold or at least used on commercial building projects.

Also, a number of potential competitors are relying upon organic compounds that have questionable lifetimes when exposed to UV over long periods – our technology has always deliberately employed inorganic compounds in our proprietary PVB interlayer to avoid the issue of our glass hazing when exposed to UV over many years on a high-rise building façade where upgrades/repairs/replacement will be difficult.

More information on the current development status and material stability limitations applicable to organics-based PV is available from the recently-published authoritative international study reported at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/aenm.201903163

A comprehensive recent review of BIPV products, materials and technologies is available from https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/12/6/1080

The trial at Vicinity Centre’s Warwick Grove Shopping Centre was built and paid for by ClearVue for the purposes of demonstrating, trialling and measuring the performance of the ClearVue IGUs in a real-world setting, at mostly sub-optimum geometric orientation and shading conditions. The Vicinity Group was kind enough to make the entrance atrium in its Warwick centre available for this purpose on the basis that the already in situ glass entrance atrium was replaced in a form and format the same as or as close to the original existing structure as was possible.

To achieve this, required installation of a new steel structure, installation of the ClearVue IGU panels onto this structure, wiring and interconnection of these panels to inverters and connection of these to a battery with connection from the battery back to devices connected to the battery including lighting and signage. This installation was never designed to pay for itself in a realistic timeframe due to its small size, the fact that the structure is completely open (and the HVAC savings could never be measured), and due to the costs of the steel structure employed but instead was designed to demonstrate the power performance over time and learn where best to place the PV IGU technology going forward– which it has successfully done.

Limitations of the Trial

The structure itself is set away from the main building and is free standing, it is not enclosed in any way, is completely open at the front with no doors and has large gaps at the sides and rear. Accordingly, the installation is not a true demonstration of the ClearVue product as the design of the structure does not and cannot demonstrate the energy savings benefits of the triple glazed low-e glazing used in the ClearVue product.

No framing system was used for this project as the intent was to focus only on the IGU modules themselves in the trial. In this regard, the finish for the project is not optimum from aesthetic or economic perspectives.

How big is the Vicinity system and setup?

The system size compares roughly with a traditional 1kW solar PV roof array. The Vicinity system comprises 18 active 30w (peak) IGU panels that are connected in 4 arrays each connected to an Enphase microinverter (see: https://enphase.com/en-au) as follows:

• North front face – 8 panels (at least 2 strongly shaded);
• East side face – 2 panels (both strongly shaded);
• West roof – 4 panels;
• East roof – 4 panels;

Is the System affected by increased heat?

As is the case with all conventional PV module types, the generated electric power reduces by about 0.5% per each 1°C of solar-cell surface temperature above the 25 °C, at which the standardized power rating is measured.

Victor Rosenberg, the CEO and Chairman of ClearVue, a businessperson and serial entrepreneur was instrumental in establishing Tropiglas Technologies Pty Ltd back in 1995. At that time, the company was dedicated to producing the world’s most efficient low-e coating to save energy in buildings. Whilst the low-e coating never achieved the companies’ aims, the core of that IP was reused in the design of a luminescent solar concentrator that could be used to redirect the unwanted UV and IR light wavelengths and harvest those wavelengths for power generation.

The core technology for the ClearVue solar concentrator built upon Tropiglas’ initial work by the team at the Electron Science Research Institute at Edith Cowan University developed and invented the current technology under a contract research arrangement such that ClearVue has guided the direction of the research for its commercial purposes and owns all the developed IP being the outcome of that research.

To date, the product has completed the below electrical and mechanical/structural properties certification performed by the world-leading testing & certification authorities to comply with the major international & local standards.

Electrical testing

UL certification in accordance with UL 61730-1 & UL 61730-2 specifically for the United States.

TUV SUD certification in accordance with IEC 61730-1, IEC 61730-2 & IEC 61215 specifically for Europe, Asia, Australia, Far East Asia and the rest of the world.

Mechanical/Structural testing

Certifications in compliance with AS 2047 & AS/NZS 4284 for Australia & New Zealand.

CE Certifications in compliance with EN 14351-1 for Europe.

Not for a façade contractor and solar installer. The façade contractor will know how to install the glazing – not much new to learn here. The connections we use for the PV IGU panels are standard for the solar industry and can be connected (plug and play) by an accredited solar installer or electrician with solar experience.

Primary uses include:

• High Rise
• Mid-rise Commercial
• Agriculture

Other uses could include:

• Industrial
• Public Infrastructure and utilities
• High-rise Residential / High-end residential

Except in the circumstances where the ClearVue windows/IGUs are being used to charge integrated batteries for supply of DC current to localised hardware such as IoT devices, electric blinds, electrochromic/dynamic glazing functions etc. then inverters will be required to convert DC power generated from the windows into AC current for interconnection to the grid or to charge larger heavy duty batteries such as those supplied by Tesla and GE. The ClearVue PV windows have been tested with a range of micro-inverters including those supplied by Enphase.

All solar products outside of the ClearVue technology are standard off the shelf solar componentry.

This is very much dependent upon the specific circumstances or your project. Please contact us to discuss your project and its specifics.

Almost any kind can be used – the type of framing used will typically be dictated by what type of construction the IGU modules are going into. Residential and low to mid-rise constructions will typically be any combination of timber, aluminium, steel, uPVC or others. Commercial will typically be aluminium. High rise buildings will typically be aluminium or steel or both.

Notwithstanding, there will be a framing system that suits your aesthetic and functional needs that works with the ClearVue IGU products. If you are having trouble finding the appropriate system, please give us a call and we can recommend suitable suppliers, or we will work with you and your architects and façade engineers to source them.

An example of an already available off-the-shelf framing system available globally is supplied by Schüco (see: www.shueco.com) – a system specifically designed for BIPV products and is capable of fitting double, triple and quadruple glazed IGU modules.

Where we are supplying the finished IGU products we recommend use of higher quality low-iron ultra-clear glass components to customers but take input from and work with your architects and façade engineers to meet specific aesthetic and functional requirements.

Like any photovoltaic system the PV cells experience a slight degradation in power performance over their lifetimes – this is typically rated as around 0.5% loss per year, or around 10% degradation over a 20-year period. In other words, after 40 years, the PV cells will produce 80% of its day one power.

However, we believe that this degradation rate will likely be lower for the ClearVue PV strips as the PV cells are contained within and protected by the IGU glazing and are not exposed to the elements like traditional roof-based PV panels.

Less than nine years currently (decreasing with further R&D). A typical double-glazed window has a carbon payback of 100 years.

Ranging from less than one year upwards- please contact ClearVue to request a feasibility study for your project.

No. The ClearVue product in its current design/format can be produced as double glazed, triple glazed and even quadruple or vacuum glazed.

Additionally, upon special request the IGU’s can be made using double or triple vacuum glazing for even greater energy efficiency savings.

Double glazed

Similarly to conventional double-glazed low-e windows, the heating and cooling energy costs savings are near 40%, compared to using single-pane windows.

Triple glazed

About double the amount of energy generated per year is saved through superior thermal insulation property of ClearVue window products.

Quadruple glazed

Even better thermal insulation and energy savings, compared to triple-glazed systems.

Vacuum glazed

Vacuum glazed windows reduce the thermal insulation U-factor to well below 1 W/(m2*K), the range not accessible with alternative technologies. Vacuum gaps are typically about 1mm wide, will not reduce power generation, and lead to the ultimate performance in thermal energy savings.

An approximate assessment of the costs and benefits associated with different glass types is based on web search data and the evaluations of the thermal energy saving performance.

Useful economic calculations can be made with the online calculator available at https://www.efficientwindows.org/new_selection1.php Example data generated for Pittsburgh clearly shows the value of installing quality triple-glazed windows.

We suggest you do your own search in your own country (every country is different) but by way of example:

Not including framing or installation and dependent on many factors, such as order size & Insulated Glass Unit (IGU) configuration, approximately US$400 per m2 for a triple glazed low-e IGU.

Sizes of Windows – combinations?

Theoretically, there is no limitation on the size of ClearVue solar windows. It can be fabricated to any desired size and shape by adding or reducing the number or length of interior certified CPV solar PV strips.

However, due to the restriction of the existing testing apparatus in most certification authorities, currently the maximum size which can be tested and certified is 1.5m x 2.5m, like other BIPV products.

ClearVue is currently working with UL and TUV to find out how to certify the giant IGUs up to 1.5m x 3.2m because of our product’s uniqueness. It is anticipated that these world-leading testing bodies can provide an outcome in early 2021.

The most important parameter characterising the PV module performance is Specific Yield (SY), measured in kWh/kWp, and showing the annual produced energy (in kWh) per each 1 kWp (1000 Wp) of installed generation capacity.

Typical values of SY for optimally mounted roof-based silicon PV are between 1300-1500 kWh/kWp.

A conservative estimate for the SY of Warwick Grove trial installation can be made using the predicted annual generation: 605 kWh / (30Wp*18) = 1120 kWh/kWp. Installations of ClearVue solar windows on optimally oriented tilted roofs will have SY values exceeding these of conventional PV.

For conventional (silicon modules-based) rooftop PV installations in Perth, Australia, average daily energy generation outputs of about 4.4 kWh/kWp have been reported, meaning that a 2kWp roof-based PV system can potentially generate about 8.8 kWh of electric energy daily (if optimally tilted & oriented). A 2kWp ClearVue installation can potentially generate approximately the same daily energy, requiring approx. 50 smaller windows of size 1.3m2 each (even if largely non optimally oriented & tilted, such as a building façade).

1m2 at 22% efficiency (silicon) roof-based PV, optimally oriented & tilted produces approximately six times more energy than ClearVue under the same conditions per m2 … BUT you can’t see through a silicon cell and it does not form part of the structure.

In the future “smart cities” that are predicted to be built during this decade, it is logical to expect that dozens of “smart buildings” capable of on-site façade-based energy generation will be constructed. Even though each building might harvest between 1 and 5 MWh of energy each sunny day, dozens of interconnected smart buildings will then be able to share their energy on-demand, preventing at least the worst of possible blackout effects in vital infrastructure objects eg. hospitals.

These city-scale distributed generation networks will harvest dozens of MWh each day per suburb, potentially replacing the need for building conventional solar farms and lossy long-range transmission cables in areas outside of CBD zones. A world of opportunities also exists for the engineering of various new device types, both façade-integrated and designed for use inside buildings, from self-powered blinds and building climate control sensors, to internet routers, security cameras and sensors, wireless chargers, and the Internet of Things (IoT) applications.

With one panel?

One window of even 0.5m2 size will generate enough energy to operate an electrochromic-type (or polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC)) transparency control layer integrated into the window. It can also power the window-integrated roller blinds system, or many LED lights mounted around the window perimeter. Daily average generation of ~ 135 Wh (orientation dependent) from a 1m2 window is sufficient for fully charging more than 13 mobile phone batteries (at about 8-10 Wh each). 100 Wh = 0.1 kWh.

The average total daily electricity consumption of a 3-bedroom household in Australia is about 15 kWh. If you were to use 20 suitably mounted ClearVue windows installed into unshaded pergola roof areas you could expect to offset approx. 18% of daily electricity consumption, due to generating approx. 2.71 kWh daily. As an example, a roof-mounted 6.6kWp mono-Si PV system offsets around 60% of the electricity bill in Perth, Western Australia. However, the roof based PV does not itself save on HVAC demand requirements – the ClearVue PV windows do. Find out more about our energy savings here. 100 Wh of energy is required to operate a 100W-rated incandescent light bulb for 1 hour (or ten (10 x ) 10W (approx 450-500 lumen) LED lights bulbs for 1 hour)

With one floor of a building?

1 floor of an office building can have around 200 windows of size 3.2m x 1.2m installed. We use the window sizes reported in one of the Company’s video presentations, to make an example. Then, the predicted energy generation is approx. = 60.5 kWh. This energy is sufficient for powering 242 lamps of rated power consumption 25W each, for 10 hours each day.

With one side of a building?

Considering 10 floors containing up to 200-300 large-area windows each, generating up to 1 MWh/day is possible. Provided that the building side orientation is selected to be close to the direction optimised for the local geography/climate.

With a whole building?

Since various window orientations may be involved, it is best to contact the ClearVue team for a feasibility analysis. Request a Feasibility Study for your project now.

Each 1m2 of ClearVue windows is currently rated to generate about 30 Wp of electric power, tested and confirmed by one of the world’s leading technical service organisations TÜV SÜD in China, using windows of size 1.44 m2. The energy produced by windows depends on the installation location, system orientation, tilt angles, system design and implementation, seasons and weather, etc.

Per day

The approximate formula for a skylight or a tilted roof-mounted window facing towards equator is simple: Daily Power = 30 Wp/m2 * (Number of m2) * (Number of peak sunshine hours for the location). In Perth, 10 North-facing roof-mounted windows of total area 10 m2 will produce approximately 30W/m2*10m2*4.5h = 1350 Wh = 1.35 kWh of electric energy daily.

A very close result is obtained by using open source solar data and online calculator published by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL, USA) at pvwatts.nrel.gov which produces 1.38kWh accounting for a 14% system loss.

At Warwick Grove test installation, the daily averaged energy production is near 1.6 kWh, generated by approx. 25 m2 of windows installed in 4 different sections of the structure. Due to the effect of non-optimum angles, and some strong shading, the averaged energy production figure is close to 70 Wh/m2/day.

It should also be noted that these energy production figures have been measured after the battery storage losses (around 10%), and the DC-to-AC conversion losses (min. 10-15%), thus showing only the approx. 75-80% of the actual energy generated by the solar windows. In future, larger-scale installations of solar windows will run at reduced rates of electric power loss, be placed in different optimum orientations not placed in a shaded environment.

Per year

In Perth, Western Australia with approx. 300 sunny days and 65 cloudy/rainy days per annum, we evaluated that approx. 605 kWh will get generated annually by the 18 active PV windows installed at Warwick Grove. The measured data accumulated over the period between May 2019 – May 2020 shows that we generated approx. 500 kWh/year, as measured from the storage system, and past all electric losses. Given that the estimated electric losses were min. 20%, this solar windows installation is currently running according to the predicted parameters.

For a summer sunny-day generation in excess of 1720 Wh (stored available energy), the energy production during the cloudy rainy days is typically seen at 900-1300 Wh per day. During much shorter winter days, we still store up to 1200-1300 Wh of energy daily.

The Warwick installation (approx. 25 m2) if it were all optimally oriented (on a North-facing non-shaded roof section), would have generated 1142 kWh per annum, as calculated using the same online NREL Calculator. This figure corresponds to the daily average of 3.12 kWh versus the current daily average near 1.37 kWh/day from the less than optimally oriented current configuration.

How much energy do ClearVue windows make?

A realistic estimate based on actual measured performance at Warwick Grove predicts generating approx. 70 kWh/day from each 1000 m2 of ClearVue windows installed. Annually, in excess of 20 MWh from each 1000 m2 of ClearVue windows in climates like Perth’s.

ClearVue is one of very few building materials on the market today that is able to pay for itself!