High Performance Multifunctional Smart Windows Using Novel Thermochromic Materials for Energy Conservation
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There are numerous challenges associated with buildings, particularly when it comes to energy efficient windows. A large fraction of global energy consumption can be traced back to buildings. The United Nations estimates that 30-40% of worldwide energy usage can be directly attributed to buildings, a trend that has dramatically increased over the last 20 years as a result of unbridled urbanization in the developing world (United Nations Environment Programme, Buildings and Climate Change: Summary for Decision Makers. Program. Sustain. Build. Clim. 2009, 1â 62). The energy consumption of buildings derives primarily from heating, cooling, and lighting of interiors. Of all the components of the building envelope, fenestration elements, specifically, windows, glazed doors, and skylights, serve as the primary conduits through which the â indoorsâ interface with the â outdoorsâ . Most solar heat gain and emissivity losses in buildings occur through fenestration elements and it is the extent of opacity of these elements that determines the need for indoor lighting. Current methods to mitigate solar heat gain oftentimes take the form of aesthetically unattractive drapery/coverings and passive coatings, or alternatively, involve prohibitively expensive electrochromic devices. A recently published research report by market leaders IDTechEx projects that â Electrically active transparent smart glass will be a Misplaced &8.5 billion revenue in 2017 and have obtained additional funding of $62 million to enter the â smart glassâ space. https://www.energyharvestingjournal.com/articles/6699/new-kid-on-the-block-breaks-into-the-smart-windows-and-glass-industry. Beyond fenestration elements, other applications for such thin films are envisioned in automotive glass, and aerospace fenestration
