Arch, Konarka to develop products for the BIPV market

Arch Aluminum and Glass, Tamarac, Fla., and Konarka Technologies Inc., Lowell, Mass., entered into a joint development agreement, according to a May 5 release. Under the agreement, the companies will explore development of a complete line of attractive, semitransparent, glass building integrated photovoltaic products called Active Solar Glass. Using Konarka’s semitransparent Power Plastic, ASG will come in a range of colors that will give architects and designers the ability to make every glass surface in a building a solar power plant. ASG will also incorporate other passive solar technologies, such as low- E. “Until today, aesthetic and performance concerns limited the ability of architects to use BIPV technology in their designs,” said Leon Silverstein, Arch CEO, in the release. “Today’s announcement is about the creation of a new product category, one that had been unavailable until now. It is energy-efficient and transparent, with superior vertical performance and a subtle red, blue or green aesthetic. With these features, BIPV will no longer need to be confined to spandrel or overhead applications. An entire building can be put to use, producing its own power, and looking good doing so. We’re excited about our efforts with Konarka to bring this technology to the building community.”ASG will allow customers to take advantage of the traditional benefits of laminated glass, including safety, security, structural and sound protection. The line also will offer transparency. While much BIPV glass is largely opaque and suitable for use only in spandrel glass, Konarka’s film material is clear enough to be used in traditional vision applications and will offer the highest transparency of any BIPV glazing product on the market, according to the release.With the ability to collect energy at up to 70 percent off-axis, ASG can harvest energy from nearly sunrise to sunset, and can even be used on vertical surfaces. This performance is unmatched by any previous BIPV product, which has traditionally been effective only on horizontal surfaces. The Konarka film is bifacial, making ASG the only BIPV fenestration on the market that can harness energy from both indoor and outdoor light, according to the release.