ClearVuePV, the Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) gold standard in stunningly clear solar windows
ClearVuePV uses nano and micro particle technology to internally diffuse, redistribute, and reflect elements of the incoming light towards the edges of the glass panel, where it is collected by monocrystalline silicon-based PV modules. The PV modules are placed into a circuit, which is optimized to harvest energy rays coming from multiple directions (even when cloudy!).
ClearVuePV Explained & Applications
The ClearVue technology described above is combined with other components to create our world leading solar glass integrated glazing unit or IGU products. More information on the technology and products is provided below.
Patented, innovative glazing technology
ClearVuePV technology uses an activated interlayer, sandwiched within a panel composed of two or three glass panes (depending on project demands), some of which are coated with specialised thin-films. All glass and specialty coating types used within the system are also selected carefully to maximise the system performance.
Customizable and optimised for your project
ClearVue’s advanced solar glazing system contains: our proprietary nano and micro particles dispersed into an interlayer; a clever internal design including a low-emissivity coating; and our custom format PV cells. The electric interconnections between each window or group of windows and the electronic control circuitry enabling each of the smart functions are also proprietary but can be easily customised and optimised for your project.
The results are stunningly clear
The combined solution prevents excess heat and unwanted solar radiation (UV and infrared) from entering building spaces; these wavelengths are redirected towards the edges of the glass pane for energy harvesting through conventional (but deeply building-integrated) PV solar cells to create clean energy – all whilst allowing natural visible wavelength light to pass through largely unaltered to provide maximum natural daylighting. The colour rendering index (CRI) of our windows is as high as 99%, leading to an unaltered colour rendering or appearance of all objects behind the ClearVue glass. The glass can of course be tinted if it is desired.
Customizable for specific application requirements
The proprietary ClearVuePV glazing systems are structured to enable the optimum combination of:
- Visible light transmission over the largest possible clear aperture,
- Thermal (HVAC-related) energy savings inside building spaces,
- Solar energy harvesting efficiency, and
- PV Yield (the amount of kWh of energy harvested over 1 year, per each 1kWp of installed window power)
The glazing structure design can be varied by ClearVue’s engineers, to accommodate specific application requirements (eg. atrium roofs over which it is possible to walk, specific fire considerations, bulletproof glass etc.)
Proprietary glazing interlayer
ClearVue’s proprietary combination of luminescent and scattering micro and nano particles are added to standard glazing industry poly vinyl butyral interlayer at the time of manufacture to create ClearVue’s proprietary glazing interlayer, that is used to capture and convert infra-red and ultraviolet light wavelengths for use in electricity generation. The interlayer is used in combination with spectrally selective glazing coatings to form part of the ClearVue’s energy generating glazing solution. A system that permits maximum tolerable visible daylight into a building (up to 70%) during building daylight operating hours.
Low-E, thin film coating
This is a core system component which assists in the internal reflection and redistribution of the incoming UV and IR wavelengths of light for power generation, whilst at the same time enabling greater control over solar heat gain.
TOP ASKED
ClearVue PV solar windows are in a category of their own, being a unique highly-transparent construction material which also enables substantial (up to 30-40%) HVAC and lighting energy savings in buildings, compared to most common single-pane windows. While more installation area is required to generate for instance 1 kWp of power, the PV Yield (the total energy harvested from each 1KWp
installed, over the course of 1 year) of ClearVue windows will in many cases exceed the PV Yield measured from 1Kwp of optimally installed silicon PV roof panels. This enables constructing unique city façade-based solar farms without being an add-on to the building envelope, but rather while being an integral part of the façade structure itself, and without sacrificing visible transparency.
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.
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.
