Guardian and Pythagoras Solar partner to bring SunGuard PVGU to market

Guardian Industries and Pythagoras Solarannounced they are working together to manufacture and market SunGuard Photovoltaic Glass Units for commercial buildings. Guardian SunGuard PVGU, powered by Pythagoras, combines Pythagoras Solar PVGU tiles with SunGuard advanced architectural glass to create a building-integrated photovoltaic product. This replaces standard vision and spandrel glass or skylights with a glass product that converts direct sunlight into energy, according to a March 15 release.

"Pythagoras Solar is clearly on the cutting edge of this technology, that is ready for wider adoption in commercial applications, as evident by their having recently received the prestigious GE Ecomagination award," said Guardian Glass Group President Scott Thomsen, in the release. "BIPV is increasingly being specified for commercial applications, and together Guardian and Pythagoras will provide applied solutions for energy efficient buildings."

"We're pleased that architects and building owners will further benefit through access to our production-ready, new BIPV technology through Guardian Industries," said Gonen Fink, Pythagoras co-founder and CEO, in the release.

The PVGU allows transmission of ambient light while generating electricity at a rate comparable to crystalline silicon PV modules at the same orientation. Optimal glazing would include the south, east and west facing facades. SunGuard PVGU offers a range of glass configurations so it can blend with building vision glass. Available in a variety of sizes, the insulated glass units are transparent and feature adaptable design to ease their integration into the building architecture, according to the release.