by Brianna Crandall — April 11, 2012—Guardian Industries and Pythagoras Solar recently announced they are working together to manufacture and market SunGuard Photovoltaic Glass Units (PVGU) for commercial buildings. Guardian Industries is a diversified global manufacturer of glass-related products and other building materials for commercial, residential and automotive applications, and Pythagoras Solar is a provider of building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) products with operations in the United States, Israel and China that recently received the GE Ecomagination award.
Guardian SunGuard PVGU, powered by Pythagoras, combines Pythagoras Solar PVGU tiles with SunGuard advanced architectural glass to create a building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) product. This replaces standard vision and spandrel glass or skylights, with a glass product that converts direct sunlight into energy. Guardian notes that BIPV is increasingly being specified for commercial applications.
SunGuard PVGU will help architects and building owners and managers who are looking for applied solutions to achieve net-zero buildings. The product lets in diffused light, increases energy efficiency and generates electricity from the building façade, helping projects achieve new “green” energy codes. Additionally, BIPV projects may be eligible to earn substantial federal tax credits. SunGuard PVGU is the first in what the companies expect to be many new developments from the Guardian SunGuard Advanced Glazing Products family.
Guardian SunGuard PVGU offers architects and building owners and managers:
- Energy efficiency—Complementing low-E SunGuard products, SunGuard PVGU reduces solar heat gain resulting in reduced energy demands on HVAC systems, optimizes daylighting and through its insulated unit, improves a thermal barrier.
- Energy generation—The PVGU allows transmission of ambient light while generating electricity at a rate comparable to crystalline silicon PV modules at the same orientation. Optimal glazing would include the south, east and west facing façades.
- Aesthetic appeal—SunGuard PVGU offers a range of glass configurations so it can blend with building vision glass.
- Energy savings—SunGuard PVGU breaks the existing trade-off between high module efficiency and low transparency.
- Architectural appeal—Available in a variety of sizes, the insulated glass units are transparent and feature adaptable design to ease their integration into the building architecture.
- Energy generation—The PVGU allows transmission of ambient light while generating electricity at a rate comparable to crystalline silicon PV modules at the same orientation. Optimal glazing would include the south, east and west facing façades.
