Ubiquitous Energy, a company specializing in transparent solar technology, has installed the world’s first transparent solar window façade at its company headquarters in Redwood City, Calif.
Approximately 100 square feet of transparent solar windows have been installed as an exterior-facing window façade, replacing the previous single-pane windows. This installation demonstrates the ability to generate renewable energy while maintaining aesthetic beauty, high transparency and color neutrality.
Each double pane window has been glazed into a fiberglass frame, matching the existing aesthetic of the building’s windows. The windows produce electricity that is being used to power the LED lighting in the adjacent room, while simultaneously maintaining the performance of standard commercial window glass. The façade is also connected to an energy management system that monitors and logs its power generation.
“Not only did we improve the thermal insulation in the conference room by replacing the single-pane windows, but also our Ubiquitous Energy windows generate enough electricity to power the lighting in the conference room. We are thrilled with the outcome of this installation and look forward to completing other installation projects in the near future,” says Miles Barr, co-founder and CTO of Ubiquitous Energy.
Applied directly on glass using standard glass coating equipment, Ubiquitous Energy’s coating is highly transparent and color neutral. The transparent solar coating selectively absorbs and converts non-visible light to electricity while maintaining visible transparency. The transparent solar coating can be applied to vertical surfaces of buildings, turning traditional windows into aesthetically pleasing, highly energy-efficient, and electricity-generating windows.
Photo A Ubiquitous transparent solar window
