Eindhoven gets factory for ‘smart’ glass

The German chemical and technology company Merck has made an investment of 15 million euros in Smart Energy Glass from Peer+ to build a factory that will produce the glass panels in Eindhoven. The glass can darken and generate energy.

It is not yet known where the factory will be built, but according to the Eindhovens Dagblad it is certain that it will be in the Eindhoven region. The first glass should roll off the production line at the end of 2017. Two years ago, Merck took over Peer+, a spin-off from Eindhoven University of Technology. Peer+ has developed a technique that makes it possible to dim the outside light by switching liquid crystals that sit in a layer between the glass. If the sides of the windows are covered with PV strips, the windows can also generate energy.

The smart windows, called ‘liquid crystal windows’, can be switched by sending an electric current through them for a short time, after which the window becomes dimmed or completely transparent. The windows function as if there is sun protection on the outside of the glass, so that the inside temperature can remain up to eight degrees lower than with glass without sun protection.

If the glass is equipped with PV strips, it can also generate its own energy, which is necessary for switching between dark and light. A spokesperson for Merck indicates to De Ondernemer that glass with PV strips will not be made in the first instance in order to ‘not make the market introduction too complex’.

Merck has been experimenting for a year with windows made of blackout glass in a wing of its innovation center in Darmstad. A new OLED production facility to be built in Darmstad will also be fitted with glass to improve energy and light management.