ClearVue looks like regular glass, but better, as it turns any window into a solar panel. It’s better for the consumer and better for the environment. The whole building can become a solar array and thus energy self-sufficient. Imagine being able to save 40% of your buildings power bills. Clearvue solar film technology could be applied to cars for that extra charge during the day, as well. Watch the introductory video here.
The secret? “Infrared and ultraviolet rays are filtered using a spectrally selective film and dispersed towards solar cells by a nanoparticle PVB interlayer.”
Image courtesy of Clearvue and Vicinity Centres.
Image courtesy of Clearvue and Vicinity Centres.
Now the West Australian company is bringing its manufacturing home. ClearVue has received a AU$2 million grant from the state government to bring its manufacturing onshore. This will mitigate supply chain risk and also benefit the local economy. ClearVue will use the funds to build a new advanced photovoltaic (PV) and nanoparticle components manufacturing facility.
“ClearVue Technologies Limited (ASX: CPV) is an Australian technology company that operates in the Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BPIV) sector which involves the integration of solar technology into building surfaces, specifically glass and building façades, to provide renewable energy. ClearVue has developed advanced glass technology that aims to preserve glass transparency to maintain building aesthetics whilst generating electricity,” DGWA writes.
“ClearVue’s electricity generating glazing technology is strategically positioned to compliment and make more compelling, the increased use of energy-efficient windows now being regulated in response to global climate change and energy efficiency goals. Solar PV cells are incorporated around the edges of an Insulated Glass Unit (IGU) used in windows and the lamination interlayer between the glass in the IGU incorporates ClearVue’s patented proprietary nano and micro particles, as well as its spectrally selective coating on the rear external surface of the IGU.”
Image courtesy of Clearvue and Vicinity Centres.
The success of ClearVue is another example of collaboration between university academics, private industry, and government. Its technology has been developed working closely with leading experts from the Electron Science Research Institute at Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth. Their window technology has applications for use in the building & construction and agricultural industries. ClearVue will match government funding dollar for dollar.
Bringing the manufacture of its solar integrated glazing units (IGUs) and windows home to Western Australia will significantly de-risk the company’s supply chain and improve control over its core intellectual property (IP) while creating a new export opportunity for Australia.
Image courtesy of Clearvue and Vicinity Centres.
“The grant is made under the WA Government’s Investment Attraction Fund (IAF) launched in March 2022 and delivered through Invest and Trade WA, within the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation (JTSI),” a press release states.
The IAF is a key enabler for investment attraction into WA, supporting the state’s economic diversification priorities. Western Australia has long been a mining powerhouse, providing much of the world’s lithium and iron ore. Part of its diversification efforts are the establishment of battery materials refining as well as startup technology companies like ClearVue.
“Specifically, the Company intends to create a solar PV strip assembly line to manufacture the PV strips used for solar collection in ClearVue’s PV solar windows and façades. Additionally, the Company intends to establish an in-house nanoparticle and quantum dot production capability to produce nanoparticles used in the polyvinyl butyral lamination interlayer currently used in the majority of the Company’s end products. The nanoparticle reactors that are used to produce the nanoparticles will also produce quantum dots, a key part of ClearVue’s technology and innovation pipeline as commercialisation advances.”
Commenting on signing the Financial Assistance Agreement for the IAF grant, acting CEO and Executive Director Jamie Lyford said: “Our board and management, and all of our staff and partners, are incredibly grateful to the State Government of Western Australia for selecting ClearVue for this grant. The ClearVue team is very proud to have had their proposal selected — it is a fantastic honour and a testament to the hard work that the team put into the submission.
“COVID and the Ukraine war have confirmed that control of the manufacturing of our core components is critical to ensuring our future supply chain. We are all very pleased that we will be able to keep certain core parts of the business within Western Australia going forward – including creating new local skilled jobs and diversifying the economy – even as we are reaching out into global markets including our key sales territories of the US and Europe.
“As an aside, and in relation to those global outreach efforts, the Company has recently welcomed Gerd Hoenicke from Germany and Chuck Mowrey from the US onto ClearVue’s board and just yesterday announced the appointment of Martin Deil as our new global CEO, all as we seek to entrench ourselves in those key markets – all three are well-known industry leaders in the façade and glazing industries who bring significant knowledge and deep networks to the Company. Once again, the Company wishes to thank the State Government of Western Australia for recognising the contribution ClearVue is making to the State through this grant.”
Commenting on the IAF grant, Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development, Jobs and Trade, the Hon. Roger Cook MLA said: “The WA Government’s Investment Attraction Fund aims to encourage new investment, support the development and expansion of new and emerging industries to diversify our State’s economy, and create new employment opportunities.
“The fund seeks to capitalise on WA’s comparative advantages, including our now thriving innovation ecosystem. A key to ensuring that is supporting innovative companies, like ClearVue, to evolve into thriving businesses within our state and to develop and retain highly-skilled technical expertise here in WA.
“A trailblazer in the field of advanced solar glazing and window solutions, ClearVue, is a genuine WA success story. With their patented technology, they continue to expand into international markets and the $2m Investment Attraction Fund grant will enable ClearVue to manufacture its key components onshore for the foreseeable future, creating new employment opportunities within the sector.”
Victor Rosenberg, executive chairman, claims that ClearVue’s technology presents a paradigm shift in the way that glass is used in the construction, automobile, and agriculture industries. “Glass will no longer be just a component of construction, but a renewable energy resource.” He expects payback periods of less than a year, with a product life of over 30 years. “Energy efficient, energy producing windows that are stunningly clear with no distortion.”
Welcome home, ClearVue — looking forward to seeing through you.
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