ClearVue secures key global certifications for energy-generating solar glass

Western Australian building-integrated PV (BIPV) specialist ClearVue Technologies announced its Gen 3 energy-generating solar glass has been independently certified by Germany’s TÜV SÜD to the latest international performance and safety standards, providing validation of the technology’s performance, durability and long-term reliability.

ClearVue’s Gen 3 solar glazing product is a laminated insulated glass unit (IGU) that incorporates a nanoparticle interlayer and spectral-selective coating on the rear external surface that allow much of the light to pass through but redirects infrared and UV light to the edge of the IGU where it is harvested by solar cells. ClearVue said the units have a peak power output of 60 W per square metre while maintaining up to 80% visible light transmission.

The Perth-based company said the product has now been awarded IECEE CB, CE, and TÜV MARK safety certifications, confirming its compliance with key quality, reliability and safety requirements.

The certification program covers four Gen 3 Vision Glass product variants incorporating tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) PV cells, including full-cut, half-cut, one-third-cut and one-quarter-cut configurations.

The certified products have power outputs ranging from 9 W to 336 W and all feature frameless single- and double-glazed construction, Class II electrical protection, a maximum system voltage of 1,000 V DC and a UL790 Class A fire rating.

The company said certification followed an independent testing program that assessed electrical performance, environmental reliability, mechanical performance, electrical safety and construction compliance. Tests included thermal cycling, damp heat ageing, hail impact, static and dynamic mechanical loading, hot-spot endurance, potential induced degradation resistance and high-voltage insulation assessments.

ClearVue Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Doug Hunt said the company was determined to exceed international testing standards rather than simply meet them.

“International certifications are always significant milestones for ClearVue, but what makes this achievement truly important is the standard we set for ourselves long before we entered the certification process,” he said.

“Our engineering objective was never simply to pass the international standards. We believe failure in the testing lab is far better than failure onsite.”

Hunt said this latest milestone follows on the heels of another important certification with the Gen 3 glazing products recently passing the Australian and New Zealand AS/NZS 2208 and the European EN1279-5 construction standards for safety glass testing, including delamination and IGU sealing tests.

ClearVue secured Grade A classification across its entire range of double-glass solar glazing, covering vision glass, solar skylights, solar balustrades, solar cladding and solar spandrels.

“These certifications are further evidence of our ability to design, manufacture and certify world-leading products,” Hunt said.

Those products are now set to be put to the test in one of the world’s most demanding climates with ClearVue announce the commencement of an independent product validation by Qatar University, designed to evaluate the company’s transparent PV glazing technology.

The university will test ClearVue’s energy-generating glazing within a greenhouse environment. The tests will measure renewable energy generation, internal temperature reduction, light transmission, cooling load optimisation and overall greenhouse productivity.

While the company’s initial order is valued at $15,000, ClearVue said successful measurement and verification work could lead to greater participation in Qatar’s government-subsidised food-security push.

Controlled-environment agriculture is expanding rapidly across the Middle East as governments invest in food security and climate resilience and Hunt said ClearVue’s ability to manufacture solar glazing at a minimum total thickness of 5mm means its products are compatible with standard greenhouse framing systems and its ability to deliver up to 90% transparency to drive plant growth are both key factors in addressing this market.

“Independent validation by Qatar University has the potential to establish ClearVue as a specified technology solution for future greenhouse developments, creating a pathway to broader commercial deployment in a strategically important market,” he said.