Windows have power-producing glass

Built along a stretch of Sydney’s northern harbour, an impressive photovoltaic pergola not only shades visitors to the Coal Loader Centre for Sustainability, it also generates free and clean energy to the site.

Constructed on the foreshore of Balls Head at Waverton, the pergola demonstrates one of many uses of revolutionary photovoltaic (PV) glass, which is increasingly being applied in construction worldwide – both domestically and commercially.

With multiple applications, Onyx Solar PV glass has been used in public and private buildings on five continents to great aesthetic and environmental effect, including in the construction of the Miami Heat stadium, the Dubai Frame, the Science Pyramid in Colorado and an award-winning residential building known as The General in Melbourne’s Northcote.

‘‘This innovative product offers customisable transparent PV glass, which provides high thermal and acoustic insulation and protection from harmful solar radiation,’’ says Enver Kolac, manager of Hume Architectural Solutions. ‘‘It filters out 99 per cent of UV and 95 per cent of IR radiation. It minimises the energy demand of a property while increasing its value,’’ he says.

Made in Spain by Onyx Solar, the leading supplier-manufacturer of PV glass, Hume Building Products is the sole distributor of the glass in Australia and supplied 64 monocrystalline panels to North Sydney Council’s sustainability project at The Coal Loader.

‘‘The extra-large photovoltaic pergola helped facilitate the transformation of the old coal loader into a centre of sustainability and the refurbishing of an industrial park into a green platform with plants and modern architecture producing clean energy,’’ says Mr Kolac.

Easily installed in place of conventional glass, PV glass provides the same thermal capacity as traditional glass but also cleverly captures the sun’s rays, creating electricity and thereby self-supplying a building or enabling it to send energy back to the grid, he says.

‘‘The glass incorporates two cutting-edge technologies – amorphous silicon and crystalline silicon,’’ says Mr Kolac. The glass can literally transform a home or office building into a power generator while simultaneously slashing its carbon footprint.

‘‘The PV glass from Onyx Solar is fully customisable in terms of size, shape, colour, degree of transparency and surface treatment.

‘‘It can replace conventional glass in different parts of a building’s envelope including in skylights, curtain walls, canopies and louvres.

‘‘Onyx Solar has also developed the first photovoltaic walkable floor, as well as photovoltaic furniture, capable of charging electronic devices.’’

Bringing innovative built environment solutions to building projects, Hume offers architects, builders and designers a range of cutting-edge and traditional materials including facade products, flooring, compressed fibre cement, glass-reinforced concrete and insulation.

Expanding the Hume business this year to include the Hume Architectural Solutions team, the company now offers excellence in service and product from start to finish.

‘‘The launch of Hume Architectural represents an exciting expansion of Hume’s capacity to deliver end-to-end services in building industry excellence and solutions in non-combustibility and sustainability,’’ says Hume’s General Manager Stavros Perrotis.

Offering a range of fine architectural products from around the world, Hume is all about systems-based solutions compliant with the National Construction Code.

‘‘We are a customer-focused systems provider,’’ says Mr Kolac. ‘‘Our global network brings fresh and unique solutions from the European market which no other building supplier in Australia can offer as well as providing trusted local brands.’’