ClearVue Technologies has kickstarted its commercial campaign in Australia after taking an order to provide a solar windows façade for union heavyweight CFMEU’s new Training and Wellness Centre in Melbourne.
The groundbreaking deal marks the company’s first major commercial supply of its solar power-generating and insulating technologies to be installed as a fully built-in photovoltaic (PV) façade.
The order was placed by Australian construction company Kapitol Group, which will build the state-of-the-art centre for the CFMEU (Construction, Forestry, Maritime, and Employees Union). ClearVue says its second-generation PV product was recommended by award-winning Australian architect Hayball because of its “exceptional sustainability benefits and high performance”.
The CFMEU is a major trade union in Australia that has operated for more than 30 years and represents some 110,000 workers.
This is a significant milestone for ClearVue as we have now commercially launched in Australia. Our clear solar photovoltaic glass windows generate the most energy of any comparable products on the market, with strong insulation and thermal performance which reduces heating and cooling loads and can be mass produced on a standard unmodified production line.
ClearVue Technologies global chief executive officer Martin Deil
Deil said he was “thrilled” the company’s first order was with the CFMEU and described Kapitol as an industry leader in engaging sustainable suppliers. The company is optimistic the CFMEU project will showcase its potential to integrate solar power directly into new builds and retrofits.
Recent trial testing has shown that ClearVue’s integrated glazing units (IGUs) can produce cooler and quieter interior workplaces, while also generating sufficient power to offset costs or run a range of internal services. The power can either offset or supplement building services, such as reducing air-conditioning needs or powering air-circulating fans.
Additionally, it may be used to power a host of other in-building services, such as automatic blinds, shades and even self-dimming glass to reduce ambient internal temperatures. It can also be used for main or mood lighting, building surveillance devices, alarm systems, indoor greenery irrigation systems and equipment battery charging systems.
Some of those systems were trialled in ClearVue’s recent two-year test of its built-in PV technology in a greenhouse at Perth’s Murdoch University. The company’s technology is in step with the CFMEU’s commitment to exploring new building technologies that lead to reducing carbon emissions and to improving employee well-being.
Kapitol Group project manager Tom Stephens said his company was also committed to engaging sustainable suppliers through a core values to “do no harm”. He believed ClearVue’s product had the potential to contribute to sustainable buildings that minimise environmental impact.
Hayball hopes the project will earn a 5-Star GreenStar certification – a rating given for environmental excellence in Australia – and a Gold WELL certification, which recognises impact on health and wellbeing. ClearVue’s IGUs are expected to form an integral part of the submission.
With its clear skies, world-renowned blazing sun and all but mandatory needs for air-conditioning, filtered light, shade and fans, Australia seems a prime target for ClearVue’s solar glazing technologies … and the company’s foot is now well and truly planted in the door.
And the finished CFMEU centre may well attract more architects and construction companies, especially in ClearVue’s often sweltering home State of Western Australia.
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