NEXT Unveiled first U.S. Window Wall at Walters & Wolf HQ in Fremont, CA

Last month, NEXT Energy Technologies, in collaboration with their manufacturing and glazing partner Walters & Wolf, unveiled the demonstration of a transparent photovoltaic prototype wall in Fremont, CA. The wall of windows was created in collaboration with NEXT, Walters & Wolf, and commercial glass fabricator Glassfab Tempering Services. The window units, the second of its kind and the first in the United States, stands at the Walters & Wolf headquarters.

Walters & Wolf is the fourth largest manufacturer of building envelopes in North America, with a manufacturing and glazing facility housed in California for the past 44 years. The wall showcases the power-generation functionality, transparency and aesthetics, and the seamless integration of NEXT’s transparent coating into a standard window-glazing system designed by the benefitting partner, 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.

NEXT’s proprietary transparent PV coating transforms commercial windows into energy-producing solar panels by converting unwanted infrared and UV light into electricity. This fully-integrated system can enable a building to power itself with its windows, which remain transparent with the coating in place.

The first wall was showcased at Bouygues Construction in Paris. Bouygues is a leading construction firm that specializes in complex commercial projects around the globe. The wall in France consists of 10 transparent photovoltaic windows that supply electricity to power an interactive display and outlet.

NEXT Energy Technologies' Solar Prototype Window Wall at the Viva Technology 2022 Conference in Paris, France (June 15, 2022)

According to a study by Architecture 2030, buildings account for 40% of annual global C02 emissions. Of that 40%, 28% is a direct result of building operations. NEXT Energy’s demonstration walls in Paris and Fremont, CA show their commitment to solving the climate crisis across the world. NEXT delivers low-cost, on-site electricity while transitioning away from fossil fuel generation, protecting the world’s climate through efficient building design and construction practices, and ensuring the resilience of the building sector against climate impacts.

To learn more about NEXT Energy’s commitment to building a sustainable future, click here.