SANTA BARBARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--NEXT Energy Technologies, Inc., makers of a proprietary transparent photovoltaic (PV) coating that transforms commercial windows into energy-producing solar panels, today announced the delivery of a PV Prototype Window Wall to Bouygues Construction in Paris. Bouygues is a leading construction firm that specializes in complex commercial projects around the globe.
The PV Prototype Window Wall was delivered by NEXT in collaboration with its partners, Walters & Wolf, a leading commercial curtainwall manufacturer and glazing subcontractor headquartered in Fremont, California, and commercial glass fabricator, Glassfab Tempering Services/Solarfab in Tracy, California.
“NEXT’s technology is both unique and promising. We’re proud to support their collaboration with Bouygues Construction and will continue to work side by side with them in bringing their product to market,” said Nick Kocelj, President of Walters & Wolf.
“We support NEXT Energy in their focused effort in providing a unique and innovative product to the architectural market. When presented the opportunity to participate in this project, we were eager to assist in any way possible,” said Brian Frea, President of Glassfab Tempering Services/ Solarfab.
NEXT’s proprietary transparent photovoltaic coating transforms commercial windows into energy-producing solar panels by converting unwanted infrared and UV light into electricity. This fully integrated system can help enable buildings to power themselves with their windows which retain their traditional transparency and performance.
The prototype installation consists of 10 transparent photovoltaic windows that supply electricity to a battery that powers an interactive display as well as auxiliary charging outlets, for phones, tablets and other electronics. The purpose of this prototype demonstration is to showcase the power generation functionality, the exceptional transparency and aesthetics, and the seamless integration of NEXT windows into a standard glazing system designed by Walters & Wolf to carry the electronics, wiring and hardware that comprise the balance-of-system. This direct integration into traditional commercial window and framing systems effectively extracts costs typically associated with packaging and installation of solar.
Installed in a typical commercial high-rise office building, the first generation of NEXT windows would offset as much as 10-20% of its power needs, and over a 30-year timeframe, such a building would produce about 20 million kWh of clean power, saving an average of $170,000 annually on utility bills and reducing 14,500 metric tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, the equivalent of powering 1,700 homes for an entire year. In the coming years, NEXT windows will be commercially available for window sizes up to 5 ft. x 10 ft (1.5 x 3 meters).
A Supply Chain Solution to The Climate Crisis
NEXT’s photovoltaic coatings are applied to commercial windows during the window fabrication process, integrating with existing manufacturers without disrupting established workflows and supply chains. This capital-efficient business model reduces risks to customers, removes barriers to adoption, and accelerates speed to market, all while adding a high-value product to the market. This direct integration into traditional commercial window and framing systems effectively extracts costs typically associated with packaging and installation of solar.
"We are excited to be one of the first global construction companies pioneering NEXT's revolutionary transparent solar panel windows. This innovation will allow Bouygues Construction to offer its clients a simple, sustainable, and profitable solution for buildings that are autonomous in the management of their energy," said Christian De Nacquard, R&D and Innovation Director, Bouygues Bâtiment International.
Meeting European and International Climate Standards
The European Union aims to be climate-neutral by 2050, requiring a fundamental transformation of the construction and building sectors. 100% of new commercial buildings in California will be designed to zero net energy (ZNE) standards by 2030. Globally, buildings generate an estimated 40% of annual GHG emissions.
“Addressing the climate crisis at the corporate level requires creative and cost-effective solutions. Commercial buildings are an excellent example of something that can be re-imagined and improved to reduce carbon emissions and overall impact,” said Daniel Emmett, CEO of NEXT.
“At a more personal level, we’re seeing employees returning to office buildings after more than a year of lockdown vocally prioritize healthy and sustainable work environments as a requirement of in-person work. In a recent survey, 74% of employees said they’d consider changing jobs if their company did not meet their requirements for a healthy and sustainable office environment,” continued Emmett.
NEXT will release a report based on a survey of professionals and building managers this summer that will explore people’s attitudes and priorities for healthy and sustainable office buildings. The full report will be published at https://www.nextenergytech.com/.
The announcement of the solar Prototype Window Wall comes just weeks after NEXT announced its $13.4 Million Series C round of funding.
About NEXT Energy Technologies, Inc.
NEXT Energy Technologies is a Santa Barbara, California company developing transparent energy harvesting window technology that allows architects and building owners to transform windows and glass facades into producers of low-cost, on-site, renewable energy for buildings. NEXT's technology is enabled by proprietary organic semiconducting materials that are earth-abundant, low-cost, and are coated as an ink in a high-speed, low-cost, and low energy process. For more information, visit https://www.nextenergytech.com/.
About Bouygues Construction
With 58,000 responsible and committed employees in more than 60 countries, Bouygues Construction designs, builds and operates projects in the sectors of building, civil works and energies and services. A leader in sustainable construction, the Group sees shared innovation as its primary added value and ensures that health and safety are its top priorities. It has pledged to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2030 and offers its customers a wide range of low-carbon solutions. In 2020, Bouygues Construction generated sales of €12 billion.
For more information: https://www.bouygues-construction.com/
