Grantee Research Project Results
2016 Progress Report: Smart Solar Windows – A Step Towards Carbon Neutral Buildings
EPA Grant Number: SU835940Title: Smart Solar Windows – A Step Towards Carbon Neutral Buildings
Investigators: Patrick, David L. , Love, Edwin
Current Investigators: Patrick, David L.
Institution: Western Washington University
EPA Project Officer: Hahn, Intaek
Phase: II
Project Period: October 1, 2015 through September 30, 2017
Project Period Covered by this Report: October 1, 2015 through September 30,2016
Project Amount: $75,000
RFA: P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet - Phase 2 (2015) Recipients Lists
Research Category: Pollution Prevention/Sustainable Development , P3 Awards , P3 Challenge Area - Sustainable and Healthy Communities , Sustainable and Healthy Communities
Objective:
The goal of this project is to develop and demonstrate a cost-effective smart solar window technology based on a new transparent photovoltaic solar concentrator able to simultaneously produce power and reduce HVAC building loads as a step toward carbon-neutral buildings and communities. An interdisciplinary team of chemistry, engineering, industrial design, environmental studies, and business students are designing, building, and demonstrating the new technology.
Progress Summary:
A significant portion of the 2015-2016 academic year was spent on refining the product design. The team examined a range of ideas for potential new applications and new features for the window technology. The team also performed a critical assessment of the feature set proposed in the Phase II grant. The team met frequently to discuss ideas, research the ideas, and debate alternatives. Prof. Miller served as a moderator / guide in these discussions, drawing on his experience in technology development.
This process led to some revisions and improvements to the window design proposed in the Phase II application. In the new design, electrical power generated by the window is put into the building wiring, using a novel approach to connect windows to one another, along with an array of microinverters converting the DC output from photovoltaic cells into AC power compatible with building power. To accomplish this, we are developing a new window frame with integrated electrical and data connections, allowing windows to be linked directly together, forming a water-tight seal on a building exterior. The system will be compatible with industry-standard “curtain window” architecture, which is the system of windows and framing used to construct many modern glass-clad buildings. Calculations based on this new design indicate it should meet or exceed the per-unit-area electrical power generation target set out in our Phase II application. The new design does away with motorized open and closing capabilities. Upon further investigation into the value and costs of this feature, we determined that a better approach is to direct all power produced by the window into the building’s wiring using our new frame design, enabling it be put to the most efficient use, whether for HVAC, lighting, electrical outlets, or other demands.
Future Activities:
Conclusions:
The team began active fabrication and prototyping of window components during the summer of 2016. The chemists prepared and characterized a series of 3”x3” and 6”x6” LSC panels based on low-Cd content CuInS2 nanocrystals. These are new luminophores introduced by the team in the last year with the goal of both reducing or eliminating Cd, and of shifting the absorption and emission spectra to the near infrared, which should both increase the overall energy efficiency of the window and render it more color neutral. Additional LSCs have been fabricated for the purposes of developing and testing optical coupler designs. This work is being led by the industrial design subteam, who are working on mirrored acrylic waveguides to efficiently couple light from the LSC pane to edge-attached solar cells, as well as approaches for perimeter sealing compatible with long-term outdoor exposure. The same subteam also has been developing models for the final window structure and manufacturing process. The electrical engineering subteam has been developing a low power inverter circuit, tailored for solar window applications to enable placing the electricity produced onto the building’s electrical grid. The MBA student team member has begun work on a sustainable business plan and online information dissemination.
Journal Articles:
No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 3 publications for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
Solar Energy, Green Buildings, Solar WindowsRelevant Websites:
Twitter Account: @WWUSolar_Window
Progress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractP3 Phase I:
Smart Solar Windows – A Step Towards Carbon Neutral Buildings | Final ReportThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.