Source : THE AGE NEWS
ClearVue Technologies has cleared another key building-code hurdle after its full range of double-glass solar glazing was awarded the top Grade A safety classification under the main Australian and New Zealand standard for building glazing.
The Perth-based smart building materials company says its Vision Glass, Solar Skylight, Solar Balustrade, Solar Cladding and Solar Spandrel products have all achieved certification to AS/NZS 2208:2023 relating to the safety of glazing materials in buildings.
The standard evaluates the safety of glazing products for impact resistance, breakage behaviour and durability, with Grade A representing the highest and most commonly specified classification for architectural glass. In simple terms, the glass is suitable for areas in buildings where people may accidentally walk into or bump against it.
That matters for ClearVue because its products are not just solar panels dressed up as glass. They are designed to be an integral part of the building envelope itself, potentially turning all windows, skylights, balustrades, cladding and spandrel zones into power-generating surfaces without reducing the safety expected in premium architectural glazing.
‘The achievement further strengthens ClearVue’s commercial offering.’
ClearVue Technologies CEO and managing director Doug Hunt
The certification covers laminated and toughened laminated ClearVue solar glazing products using polyvinyl butyral (PVB) interlayers, with approved glass thicknesses from 7.92mm to 25.52mm and for panel sizes up to 2400mm by 7000mm.
PVB interlayer laminated glass is a premier safety glass created by sandwiching a tough, flexible polymer film between two or more glass panes. Under intense heat and pressure, it fuses into a single, resilient pane that holds together on impact rather than shattering.
The certification also opens the door for architects, builders and façade engineers to specify the company’s building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) products, since AS/NZS 2208 is referenced in the National Construction Code and Australian Standard AS 1288.
ClearVue Technologies chief executive officer and managing director Doug Hunt said: “To have our entire double-glass range certified to AS/NZS 2208:2023 reflects the quality and rigour we bring to every product we develop. The built environment demands materials that perform to the highest standards, and ClearVue products do exactly that. Proving that glazing with solar added has no disadvantage compared to normal glazing is a massive step for broad adoption.”
The latest quality imprimatur follows on the heels of another important certification earlier this week, when ClearVue’s Gen 3 Vision Glass passed the European EN 1279-5:2018 test covering the long-term sealing performance of insulating glass units.
That result validated the company’s design for passing power through the seal of a double-glazed unit without compromising the seal’s integrity or risking the electrical circuitry, other installed components, or junction boxes.
ClearVue has also just confirmed a $6.25M capital raising, made up of a $5.25M placement and a fully underwritten $1M share purchase plan, to support growth and new product development.
For a company working to convince the construction sector that solar glass can be treated like normal glass, the latest certification lands neatly on message.
ClearVue is not just selling the idea of architecturally attractive windows that make power; It’s now stacking up the paperwork required to get them universally accepted as the best product to install in real buildings.
Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: mattbirney@bullsnbears.com.au
