SolarWindow Technologies May Change How We Build Forever

Lots of great stories hitting our site this week along with our news report from Green Fest, Boston.  This one keeps with our theme this week on focusing on innovation as part of a sustainable shift.  Anything that permanently changes how we build is great--we've been stuck doing the same old things for too many decades.  Shame on us.

SolarWindow Technologies, Inc. is getting closer to bringing the company’s proprietary electricity-generating windows to market – and is making some pretty big claims as to the impact it might have.

The technology behind SolarWindow involves applying ultra-thin layers of liquid coatings on to glass and flexible plastics that turn these surfaces into solar cells. The coatings are primarily made of hydrogen and carbon and a color wheel of tints has been achieved.

“I’ve never seen a technology with the kind of potential that I see with SolarWindow™ where you have the very real prospect of turning entire skyscrapers into electricity power generators,” said Curtis Watkins, Project Manager, Emerging Technologies, Duke Energy, and a SolarWindow Advisor.

“Utilities need to address renewables in a couple of different ways. Our customers say renewables are important to them and we have to find solutions for them so we’ve developed a Distributed Generation Group and SolarWindow presents a fantastic opportunity for that,” said Watkins.

The company says the technology is suited to high speed roll-to-roll and sheet-to-sheet manufacturing and its methods do not require expensive high-temperature or high-vacuum production techniques.  Developed for direct integration with existing fabrication and glass manufacturing processes, the coatings can be also be applied at the glass plant after the glass is manufactured.

“Our technology works. We are on track to bring the world’s first-of-its-kind electricity-generating window to market,” said John A. Conklin, President and CEO of SolarWindow.

“The tinkering is over. All of us are witnessing one of the biggest breakthroughs in clean energy and we are focused on commercialization over the next 28 months – a very short home stretch, and the steps I have outlined in the webcast will get us there.”

The company claims SolarWindow technology can generate 50 times more electricity than rooftop solar power when modeled for an installation on a single 50-story building; and can achieve more than 12 times the environmental benefits. Electricity can be generated using natural, shaded, and even artificial light.

An estimated 35 percent of  electricity is consumed by commercial buildings in the USA, the target market for SolarWindow. The company says financial payback can be achieved in one year with its product.

Installed on a single 50-story tower, SolarWindow says its product can avoid the carbon emissions produced by vehicles driving over 2.2 million miles each year, compared to  rooftop solar systems at 180,000 miles.

SolarWindow Technologies, Inc. was first incorporated as Octillion Corp. in 1998 and the company name was changed to New Energy Technologies, Inc. in 2009. It was again changed earlier this year to SolarWindow Technologies, Inc. to align the corporate brand with the core product.

- See more at: http://renewablenow.biz/renewable-construction.html#sthash.3tocSqb1.dpuf