I-Corps: Adaptable Solar Window

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is to offer building energy savings, on-site solar power production, and improvement to building occupants' well-being. The primary application of the project focuses on the commercial buildings sector for both new and retrofitting buildings, where heating, cooling, and lighting energy accounts for nearly $70 billion annually. The project is expected to result in substantial energy saving for consumers in that target market. Building occupants also receive economic benefits from direct solar power production. Additionally, the solar window platform will potentially offer multiple features by controlling multifunctional attributes such as thermal comfort, daylighting transmission, glare problems, privacy, and window transparency. The project will explore customer discovery of this low-cost, durable advanced window system.This I-Corps project incorporates an adaptable organic photovoltaic (OPV) systems that allows maximum solar power production while being able to respond to varying internal and external influences. A series of adaptable OPV systems are encapsulated between two panes of glass to guarantee long-term operation and easy maintenance. The OPV system consists of micro-OPV shades attached to a circular gear frame, and is rotating according to sun positions. The system balances multidimensional functionalities between solar heat gain, daylighting transmission, user privacy preferences, glare protection, and unobstructed views to the outside, while allowing users to customize the operation of the system. The Perturb and Observe Maximum Power Point Tracking algorithm is used to maximize solar power production. An individual micro-junction box at the micro-OPV module incorporates a bypass diode to maintain stable energy production efficiency when partial shading occurs. For maximum OPV efficiency and long-term performance, the solar window is configured to prevent heat build-up, moisture formation, and ultraviolet light transmission in the air cavity.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.