Western Australia-based solar window company ClearVue has completed testing in the Skylab facility of the Singapore Building and Construction Authority, saying the results show real-world performance benefits for tropical climates.

Over a four-week period in July to August 2023, SkyLab directly compared the performance of a test cell fitted with ClearVue’s Gen-2 PV integrated glazing units (IGU) against a control cell, deployed with the  Building and Construction Authority’s (BCA) ’Greenmark Platinum’ certified double glazed low-e windows. 

Compared to the control cell, ClearVue’s cooling energy usage was reduced by an average of 22.8% compared to the control cell; total building energy consumption was 6.1% lower; and in terms of thermal performance, its Gen-2 PV IGUs were up to 3.5°C cooler compared to control windows during daytime hours.

Moreover, the company said that when its “spandrel solution” was added to the façade glazing, the overall electrical energy consumption in the same setting can be reduced by 71%.

“BCA’s comprehensive testing program clearly shows the advantages our PV glazing technology provides – as both an energy generator and passive design solution,” ClearVue Chief Executive Officer, Martin Deil, said.

To recap, ClearVue has developed specialised glass technologies that preserve glass transparency while generating electricity. The integrated glazing units (IGU) feature PV cells around the edges of each unit. The units incorporate a nanoparticle interlayer and spectral-selective coating on the rear external surface which allow much of the light to pass through but redirects infrared and ultraviolet (UV) light to the edge of the IGU where it is harvested by solar cells.

In September, the company said it had confirmed the scalability and “commercial viability” of its second-generation integrated glazing units after a mass production run using a standard manufacturing line at a factory in China.