New developments in glazing for a better use of solar energy in buildings

Andreas Gombert, Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE

By coating and structuring surfaces on a nano or micrometer scale their optical properties can be modified. Combining both coating and structuring together with switchable and semiconducting materials enlarges significantly the freedom of design for novel components which are required for solar applications significantly. This paper gives an overview on novel developments in the field of optically functional surfaces for glazing to be used in building envelopes. Topics are antireflective surfaces, switchable glazing, sun protection systems, light management and novel building integrated photovoltaics based on nano and micro structured surfaces. Insight will be given on the optical modelling, the manufacturing methods mainly based on sputtering and interference lithography and subsequent replication, and the characterisation methods.

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The Authors

Dr. Andreas Gombert CTO Concentrix Solar GmbH Andreas Gombert was born in 1961. He studied photoengineering at the University of Applied Sciences of Cologne, Germany, and optics at the University of Strasbourg, France. He started his professi... Read more