Fully transparent solar-energy-gathering glass developer ClearVue has announced it has managed to nearly double its previous largest panel size. The manufacturer is now able to produce a panel size of up to 2.3 m (2300 mm) high by 1.2 m (1200 mm) wide, or a 2.76 sqm panel.
While its first production-quality prototype was producing 52.3W peak of power under standard testing conditions, ClearVue’s enlarged solar panels, currently being readied for production, will be able to generate more than 60W peak power per panel.
ClearVue’s glass allows a remarkable 70% of the visible light to pass through all layers. Meanwhile, 90% or more of ultraviolet and infrared light is reflected off the spectrally selective film, and scattered by inorganic nanoparticles to the edges of the glass where it is collected by CIGS cells that produce electricity.
The ASX-listed firm expects the new panel size will significantly expands its sales opportunities among projects where larger panel sizes are required including for aesthetic purposes giving architects and façade engineers design flexibility for their projects.
“The larger panel is a major breakthrough for the Company and significantly opens up our opportunities to engage with architects and engineers seeking an uninterrupted view through the windows they are installing into newbuild projects,” said ClearVue Executive Chairman, Victor Rosenberg. “We are looking forward to commencing production of the next batch of large format IGUs in the coming 6 to 8 weeks and then to updating the market on the test results but more importantly we are looking to forward to being able to confirm commercial availability thereafter.”
The announcement is the latest in a series of milestones for ClearVue. In July, the firm signed a memorandum of understanding with Taiwanese thin-film solar module manufacturer BeyondPV to set up a dedicated production line for solar strip modules at its production facility in Tainan. The target of shipment volumes in 2020 is to be greater than 200,000 strips.
Previously, the Perth-based company completed its first commercial application – an energy-generating glass atrium at the entrance of a shopping center in Perth. The atrium panels at Vicinity Centers’ Warwick Grove Shopping Centre charge a battery that then powers the structure’s lighting, outside signage and a display screen inside the centre that provides information on power generated, energy saved and carbon offsets.
Last year, ClearVue signed an agreement with Perth-based yStop to integrate its transparent PV panels into yStop’s illuminated street signs and bus-stop structures.
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