BUILDING SMART WINDOWS

A team of Western Washington University students have been awarded the first installment of a $75,000 EPA grant to produce their solar-powered “Nova-Window.”

Story by Ali Brassfield | Photos by Kesia Lee

Tucked away safely in the engineering department in a charcoal gray air cargo case at Western Washington University lies the “Nova Window,” a Smart Solar Window designed, built and demonstrated by students in 2014. The device was awarded a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency to continue research, but a new batch of students will have to take the device to the next level for it to be available on the market.

Nova Window, a solar window that collects, stores and utilizes solar energy, is continuing its development this year with a new team. This solar window has significant implications for reduced energy use, but the technology is still subject to a long process of research and development before the team commercializes it.

The transparent solar panel, which uses patent-pending luminescent solar concentrator (LSC) technology is a breakthrough in solar energy, said Jim Kintzele, an electrical engineering student who was the leader of last year’s team. The development of the Nova window prototype was his senior project.

This solar window stands apart from other solar panels, which are limited to roof space and other areas that receive sun exposure.

Kintzele and his team members collaborated to advance the technology further by adding a motor and smart components that allow the window to harvest and store its own solar energy. The stored energy allows the motor and smart components to be automated and used via remote control, on devices such as a smartphone or tablet.

The smart element of the window can also make its own decisions based on data gathered from environmental sensors that determine when to open and shut windows, reducing energy use.

According to Green Pulse Energy, a company of renewable energy specialists based out of Essex, U.K., the window’s ability to monitor heating and cooling could cut costs by up to 30 percent.

This product led the team to success in business competitions last year, winning grant money to continue research and development in hopes of producing a marketable, affordable and durable window.

Last year the team won the EPA’s People, Prosperity and the Planet competition for sustainable design. They were granted $15,000 in Phase I of the competition and a Phase II grant of $75,000 has been recommended for funding. The Executive Summary for the EPA approval was submitted and is currently being reviewed.

According to the Executive Summary, the window is being designed to produce 10 times more power than it consumes. Further research will look into taking the excess energy produced by the window and putting it back on the grid using a micro-inverter, which turns solar energy into usable electricity, Kintzele said.

Professor Todd Morton, a faculty advisor for the engineering students on the team, is optimistic that the Nova Window will reach the market. According to Morton, he will guide the student-led research and development this year, which he hopes will result in the addition of the micro-inverter, as well as heating, ventilation and air-conditioning control integration.

The HVAC integration, according to the EPA’s project summary, will provide synergy between the window and the building’s HVAC system with wireless coordination. These additions were an obstacle for the team last year, and are vital to success of the window in the marketplace.

The Nova window will need a number of other developments to be marketable, according to the Executive summary. The window already includes the basic safety measure of automatic obstruction sensing, but future additions like a carbon monoxide sensor could further increase user safety, Kintzele said.

According to the Executive Summary, advanced wireless communication is also necessary. Last year’s team originally wanted the design to include technology for a Bluetooth based low-energy mesh network that would allow the windows to communicate with each other, according to Kintzele.

“That’s what we hoped for and envisioned in these smart buildings; this mesh network of windows that could all work as a team,” Kintzele said.

All of these features — current and in development — could be guiding the team to develop a window with the potential to generate renewable power and substantially reduce a building’s HVAC overhead. According to the EPA’s project summary, this is an important step in sustainable design, helping to develop fully carbon neutral buildings and communities.

The Nova window project, however, is not being designed with priority for commercialization. Although it has been successful in business plan competitions for its design concepts and innovation, the purpose of the project was to act as a catalyst of student learning, according to Hannah Bouscher.

According to Bouscher, a member of the previous team and the current business and marketing lead for the project, if the Smart Solar Window is developed to commercial standards, the team will then devote time to forming a commercialization strategy.

If the Nova window stays at WWU for development indefinitely, there are many opportunities for students to gain relevant experience in the research and development of building integrated photovoltaics and smart HVAC systems.

For now, the Nova Window team has provided both scientists and the public a glimpse into the future of renewable energy and carbon neutral buildings. Regardless of this project’s success in commercialization, this green building technology is part of the quest for affordable solar energy, and this team of students is leading the charge.