Jul 31

The Positive Impacts of Smart Glass 1.0

NEXT Energy Technologies is dedicated to changing the world by developing groundbreaking clean energy solutions for the built environment, with a key focus on the commercial architectural glass market. This is the start of a series exploring how 3 smart glass companies collectively attempted to disrupt this market and fell short.

While the Smart Glass 1.0 era was fraught with challenges, it is important to examine some of the positive impacts that came from this effort. Here are six key contributions:

Industry-Wide Learning and Growth

In an industry known for its resistance to change, Smart Glass 1.0 pushed architects, fabricators, glaziers, and window manufacturers to develop solutions for handling glass with integrated electrical components.

Fabrication techniques, framing system design, and improved collaboration across trades ensured the industry is better equipped to manage future solutions with similar characteristics like BIPV.

Validating A New Sales Model

The high cost, risks, and aesthetic challenges of smart glass 1.0 forced electrochromic (EC) companies to go over the established channel and make their initial sale to developers and investors on projects.

There were multiple reasons for this, but one of the main drivers was the impact of the standard channel markups. Letting a $65/sf IGU pass through glazing and GC markups was certain to kill deals before they ever got started.

This approach of selling above the channel was highly disruptive to architects who were forced to design around the aesthetic and size constraints, and glaziers who didn’t want the risk of hanging glass with wires. But in the end, it proved to be effective.

It is too early to tell if this model will persist, but it demonstrated to future glass technology companies that this approach is viable, at least in the initial stages of new technology introduction.

Honed EC Performance Requirements

Architectural and occupant feedback developed a clear performance profile for an ideal EC solution:

VLT Range: .5% in the tinted state and 55%+ in the clear state
Coating color: Neutral
CRI: 90%+
Tint Performance: Fast (Sub 5 min) and Uniform
IGU OAT: 1” (in North America)
Shapes: Necessary
IGU Options: ceramic frit printing and reflective coatings on #2, TPS spacers, hurricane, safety, and sloped glazing, and U-Value neutral (double / triple / VIG).
Controls: Robust, low-cost, BMS Integrated, and on prem

EC Testing Standards

The introduction and commercialization of smart glass necessitated the development of industry standards and regulations to ensure product quality, safety, and performance such as ASTM 2141. These standards have not only benefited smart glass manufacturers but have also contributed to promoting transparency, reliability, and consistency in product offerings.

Challenging HVAC Design Assumptions

There was open skepticism with building performance modelers as to whether smart glass would really keep enough heat out of the building to reduce the HVAC sizing. Field data has proven that the benefits are real and should be integrated in the upfront design.

Highlighting Key Challenges

The journey of Smart Glass 1.0 spotlighted the key challenges the next wave of companies will have to address for smart glass to go mainstream. These include greater capital efficiency, improving reliability, solving early for manufacturability, working with the glass supply chain, and ensuring a seamless integration into building automation systems.

Moving Forward

As we reflect on the positive impacts of Smart Glass 1.0, it’s clear that this pioneering effort has laid a framework for the future. By learning from past experiences and building on these successes, we can continue to drive innovation and transformation in the architectural glass market.

Follow along as I do a tear down on the root cause issues that led to the failure of smart glass 1.0.

UP NEXT - Smart Glass Postmortem: Part I – Tech, Product, & Strategy

About the Author

Jonathan Hafemann is the Vice President Growth and Commercialization at NEXT Energy Technologies. He is an expert at developing scalable go-to-market strategies for early-stage property and climate technology solutions. His focus on sustainable solutions for the built market accelerates the transition to a net zero future.