ClearVue’s Solar Windows Attract $2m Funding from WA Government

The Western Australian government is granting solar window company ClearVue $2 million to support its WA component manufacturing plans.

The Tech Behind ClearVue’s Solar Windows

ClearVue’s windows are designed to let a lot of light in, like normal windows, but also capture sunlight to create electricity. They use two main components: a nanoparticle interlayer and a special coating.

1. The nanoparticle interlayer is a thin layer inside the window made up of incredibly tiny particles. This layer is designed to help capture certain types of light that the window can turn into electricity.
2. The special coating on the back of the window is designed to let most light through (so you can still see out of the window), but redirect infrared towards the edge of the window.

The infrared light sent to the edge of the window is caught by solar cells.

Manufacturing Plans and Financial Support from the WA Government

The company plans to manufacture the strips of solar cells for the window edges and their own nanoparticles and quantum dots, specifically for the layer inside the window that helps to capture the sunlight.

The financial assistance agreement comes from the first round of the government’s $285 Investment Attraction Fund, and will go towards the assembly line that will manufacture ClearVue’s solar PV strips, the solar collectors in the company’s solar windows and facades.

The products will be shipped to the company’s licensed manufacturers here and overseas.

Securing the Supply Chain and Intellectual Property

Announcing the deal, ClearVue said the support will

“significantly de-risk the Company’s supply chain and concurrently improve control over its core intellectual property”.

Acting CEO and Executive Director Jamie Lyford said:

“COVID and the Ukraine war have confirmed that control of the manufacturing of our core components is critical to ensuring our future supply chain.”

State development, jobs and trade minister Roger Cook said

“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.”

One of ClearVue’s first installs was in 2019, on the atrium of a shopping centre in Perth.

Earlier this month, the company announced design improvements it said reduced fabrication and assembly time by “over 90%”.

It also announced new solar facades that it expects to cut the cost per watt by 70%, and lift the output to an average 100W peak per square metre over an entire facade.

The company also appointed former Permasteelisa UK CEO Martin Deil as its CEO.