SolarWindow Technologies, Inc. (WNDW)
SolarWindow Technologies, Inc. (WNDW), based in Columbia, Maryland, is developing the next generation of solar technology that can outperform current solar by as much as 50 times. With 12 times the environmental benefits of current technologies, SolarWindow™ has produced independently validated financial payback within one year, a fraction of the time for conventional approaches. The key to the company's proprietary breakthrough technology is the application of ultra-thin layers of liquid coatings on to glass and flexible plastics, producing ultra-small solar cells and forming groups of Organic Photovoltaic solar arrays (OPV). Notably, the liquid coatings are made primarily of hydrogen and carbon, which are abundant natural elements.
The wavelength-sensitive coating allows enough light to pass through to maintain visibility, while still absorbing light energy for the generation of electricity. Once generated in the micro-cells, electricity is transported by a virtually invisible system of ultra-thin conductive wires. The company is also continually working to ensure that the final product appeals to the varied aesthetic demands, as well as financial requirements, of today's industrial and residential markets, including real estate developers, building engineers, and architects. In addition to new construction, coatings are being developed for retrofitting and replacement windows, all while minimizing additional costs to a standard window. Any added costs for electric interconnection are offset by the rapid payback in electrical savings.
A major benefit to the technology is its ability to bring highly efficient solar to urban environments, through the company's current development of first-of-a-kind solar windows that allow for direct window-generated electricity in buildings and homes, for which solar would otherwise not be a viable solution. This new generation of solar is engineered to work in even shaded or indoor light, allowing it to be applied successfully to all four sides of tall towers, far exceeding the capabilities of traditional solar. As a result, a tall building that would require 10-12 acres of costly urban land for a typical solar panel field can now generate electricity on all sides using existing windows, dramatically dropping the payback from 5-11 years down to a single year, according to independently validated financial modeling results.
SolarWindow Technologies is starting to move from the lab toward final commercialization with the development of a range of SolarWindow™ products, including flat glass products for commercial construction and replacement, window glass for residential construction and replacement, and flexible films for retrofitting existing buildings and homes. Together, these products target America's 85 million detached homes and commercial buildings, with five million commercial buildings in the U.S. alone, a multi-billion dollar market. Approximately 40% of the nation's electricity is consumed by commercial buildings, and most of that electricity comes from greenhouse gas generating fossil-fueled power plants. In a 50-story building, an estimated 30%-50% of that energy could potentially be offset through the use of windows from SolarWindow Technologies.
The company envisions its technology as becoming a common part of buildings around the world, providing a source of clean, renewable energy to help meet the world's growing energy demands.
