ClearVue Technologies receives clearance for US sales of solar PV building product

After 12 months of rigorous testing, Australian smart building materials company ClearVue Technologies (ASX: CPV) has received confirmation that its solar PV insulated glass unit (IGU) product has passed UL 61730 certification, paving the way for sales into the US.

The certification is a global standard for photovoltaic module safety and governs construction requirements in order to provide safe electrical and mechanical operation over the long term.

ClearVue’s PV-IGU was tested under a new category not previously used by UL.

The testing protocol included an independent assessment of each of the solar PV strips used in the IGU, and involved testing the product with and without the strips in place.

The testing process has an inbuilt flexibility for future assessment of new ClearVue PV-IGU module designs of different sizes and solar PV compositions.

ClearVue said it would significantly reduce the time and effort required for testing of future iterations of the product and the process will be routine for the company and for its licensees.

“UL certification is a major achievement and is the most important step forward in ClearVue’s commercialisation path,” said executive chairman Victor Rosenberg.

“PV-IGU combines glazing and solar in the one product and is unlike anything the UL has had to deal with before [however] we were able to design a very detailed testing protocol which examined all aspects of its safety and performance, with the product meeting all such requirements.”

Mr Rosenberg said the certification would provide peace of mind to architects, façade engineers, developers and building owners when specifying or installing ClearVue products into major building projects.

Manufacturing inspections

UL LLC is a global independent safety science company and world leader in product safety testing and certification.

For more than 100 years, thousands of manufacturers have had more than 14 billion products evaluated and tested for safety risks by UL’s independent, third-party safety certification labs.

UL is in the process of inspecting ClearVue’s original equipment manufacturer factories for quality control and will conduct routine inspections on a quarterly basis to ensure ongoing standards.

ClearVue is also pursuing IEC certification testing which is requirement for sales into the European market.

R&D agreement

Last week, ClearVue announced it had entered into a supply agreement with BeyondPV Company Ltd of Taiwan for the ongoing research, development and product improvement of ClearVue insulated glass unit and smart façade products.

BeyondPV develops and designs photovoltaic technologies including silicon and copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) based solar panels and modules with a high conversion efficiency for use in power generation.

Under the terms of the agreement, BeyondPV will spend approximately $5.17 million on a dedicated production line to design, manufacture and supply solar PV strip modules for integration by ClearVue and its licensees into solar PV insulated glass units, windows and smart façades.

About ClearVue

ClearVue operates in the building integrated photovoltaic sector which involves the integration of solar technology into glass and building surfaces.

The company has developed advanced technology which preserves glass transparency to maintain building aesthetics while generating electricity from windows.

Solar PV cells are incorporated around the edges of an insulated glass unit used in windows and the lamination interlayer between the glass in the IGU incorporates ClearVue’s patented proprietary nano and micro particles, as well as a spectrally-selective coating on the rear external surface.

Mr Rosenberg said the company had moved forward “on multiple fronts” in the past year including technical, commercial and financial, to prepare for market entry of its product.

At midday, shares in ClearVue Technologies were up 12.12% to $0.185.