Glass is a major part of most building design, allowing natural light and ambiance, as well as warming in the winter. In the summer, though, solar load can lead to increaesd use of air conditioning systems. The obvious solution, of course, is to draw the shades, but this requires someone to manually do it.
A new system designed by View, previously Soladigm, makes use of electrochromatic glass and software to control it.
View stayed away from traditional LCD electrochromatic glass, instead opting for a new vapor deposition technique typically reserved for thin-film solar or display technology. The new smart glass is thinner and less expensive, as well as more durable.
View’s smart glass, which is about 50% more expensive than typical glass, would require more in up-front construction costs, but typically promises a 20% reduction in utility costs, making it break even after about 2 years.
“The energy savings are tremendous but this is much larger than that. It’s a truly intelligent window system that allows for a fantastic user experience,” says View CEO Rao Mulpuri.
View’s smart glass system is controlled via Wi-Fi network, by a central controller using algorithms taking into consideration internal and external temperature, solar load, and occupancy. In an office setting, an employee can sit comfortably next to the auto-dimmed window without getting too hot or having to suffer glare from the full sun.
