Glass, wood, concrete, and steel are the longtime cornerstones of building, but to keep up with 21st-century needs, NEXT Energy Technologies is transforming one of the architect’s basic tools — glass — into a source of renewable energy. The Goleta company’s pilot line of organic photovoltaic windows are the largest in the world, 40 inches x 60 inches, and generate clean, low-cost, renewable energy. And, as all windows should be, they are highly transparent.
Daniel Emmett, company cofounder and CEO, flicked a switch at the company’s laboratory, shining a burst of light on a small sheet of glass. As a slightly gray coating absorbed the light, the electricity produced caused a small spinner to whirl rapidly. Looking at the glass closely, the naked eye can see small veins printed on the glass. But they are discreet, not taking away from the aesthetic of the clean glass.
Unlike traditional solar panels, which are black in color and largely produced in China, the organic elements in NEXT’s coating allow the glass to be transparent. The materials used are earth-abundant, according to the company, low-cost and processed using a low-energy method. And the material can make any facade that uses glass become a source of solar-power generation, previously limited to rooftops, Emmett said, though he declined to be specific about the amount of power generated or the costs involved…