US firm e-Chromic in Boulder, Colorado is the latest company commercialising dynamic window technology.
The technology, incubated at National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), was acquired by RBL Technologies, set up by entrepreneur Loren Burnett, in May 2011. Burnett is CEO of US e-Chromic.
Explains Burnett: 'We are developing an electrochromic [EC] thin-film for windows. It is similar to other EC technology in most ways. It is different in that our product turns reflective to light and heat, whereas other EC technologies turn dark and therefore absorb heat.'
To create heat sinks to overcome this issue, conventional EC windows are built into the interior of new window units.
Burnett adds: 'Since our technology reflects heat and therefore does not create a heat sink, it can be applied from inside an office to retrofit existing windows.'
Pilot production
The company will maintain its connection to NREL for R&D purposes and plans to build a pilot production line to start production in late 2013. The initial target market will be owners and facilities managers of commercial buildings in the US, followed by international markets.
Dynamic glass, the most common of which is EC glass where a voltage is used to drive the glass's change in state, is attracting more interest as products prove they are durable for building applications and production scale-up is occurring.
The world's second largest glass company Saint-Gobain has invested $80 million (€58.5 million) in Sage, the leading supplier of dynamic glass. Sage is building a US factory in Minnesota, which will launch the companies' first merged-technology EC product. High-volume shipments will begin in mid-2012.
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Cost-effective smart windows to reach the market in 2012
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