Energy loss through the windows remains a dominant obstacle in obtaining zero-energy buildings. In particular, for mixed climate environments, the... » More

Energy loss through the windows remains a dominant obstacle in obtaining zero-energy buildings. In particular, for mixed climate environments, the solar heat gain coefficient of a window must be switchable to control the amount of solar heating in the winter and summer seasons. Furthermore, it is desirable for the system not to consume energy from the grid and operate in an autonomous way. Finally, the system must be scalable and cost effective to retrofit existing windows. In this talk, we present some of the developments in this arena carried out by AlphaMicron. In particular, AlphaMicron has developed and demonstrated an active as well as a passive system to control solar heating and radiation based on novel guest-host liquid crystal materials. In addition to material development, these system have been implemented on flexible plastic films and use solar light and/or heat for operation. The system is currently under testing for internal automotive applications.

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