ClearVue Gen3 Solar Glass: More Output For Less

Prototypes of Australian firm ClearVue’s next generation of Solar Vision Glass demonstrate a big boost in energy generation, involve fewer components and significantly reduced production costs says the company.

Gen3 Vs. Gen2 Performance

In early testing by the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore (SERIS), ClearVue’s Gen3 product prototypes have demonstrated more than 66% increase in energy generation according to the firm.

Other improvements include:

• Processing time for a double-glazed unit has been cut by more than half; from around 5 minutes, to ~2 minutes.
• Required components can be reduced from 17 to 7 through removing the use of aluminium and several other raw materials.
• Silicon waste minimised due to more efficient cell cutting.

Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Douglas Hunt anticipates full certification testing to take around six months, commencing in the final quarter of this year. But given typical project lead times of four to six months, he expects Gen3 will be incorporated into commercial proposals from this point on.

Gen3 Solar Vision Glass will be supplied as single, double or triple glazing, or can be integrated with LandVac Vacuum Glass.

How Does ClearVue Solar Vision Glass Work?

ClearVue solar glass is a Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) product that internally scatters infrared and ultra-violet light towards the edges of the glass panel, where it hits monocrystalline silicon-based PV cells that generate electricity, while still maintaining 70% visible light transmission.

The current generation of Solar Vision Glass (Gen2) is capable of producing up to 30 watts peak power per m².

Is ClearVue Solar Vision Glass Available For Homes?

ClearVue provides glass solutions for both commercial and residential applications.

While primarily targeting the commercial/government building markets at present, the company has been making some headway in getting its products onto homes here in Australia. For example, last year we mentioned ClearVue was to supply solar photovoltaic glazing and integrated solar cladding panels for local modular building company Prefabulous’s ‘FabZero’ prototype.

In July this year, Prefabulous said its net net-zero prototype was “95% done and looking incredible”.

In February, ClearVue struck a deal with Viridian Glass, which operates in both New Zealand and Australia. Viridian will be producing the energy-generating glass for projects from “high-performance homes” to commercial towers and government buildings.

How Much Do ClearVue Solar Windows Cost?

You’ve probably already surmised they aren’t cheap.

While there’s no indicative pricing for Gen3 Solar Vision Glass that I could find, Gen2 costs around US$ 400¹ per m² for a triple glazed low-e Insulating Glass Unit (IGU). That works out to approximately AU$ 613 at current exchange rates. But this doesn’t include framing or installation, and is dependent on other factors such as order size.

Decent quality conventional solar panels cost as little as $65 per m² (based on a ~ 2m² panel), and output around 220 Watts within that area compared to Gen2’s 30W peak. But this is an apple-to- oranges comparison.

In addition to Solar Vision Glass, ClearVue also produces solar cladding, balustrades, spandrels and skylights. The glass is also being used in greenhouse projects. An example project is at Murdoch University in Western Australia that has been operating since 2021. According to the firm, the installation has reduced energy consumption by nearly 40%, is saving water and producing higher crop yields in the solar grow rooms.

We’ve been touching base from time to time with ClearVue happenings since 2019 and it’s good to see the company is still around and kicking goals, locally and abroad. Aussie, Aussie, Aussie and all that.