A researcher from Griffith University will lead a million dollar research into a new kind of low-cost, energy-saving 'smart window'.
Professor Huijun Zhao is the director of Griffith University's Centre for Clean Environment and Energy. The Australian Research Council's Linkage Projects scheme has awarded him $513,210 to develop a window that is able to change its colour and the amount of light or heat it transmits.
The project is also being supported by a partner organisation Confirmation Australia. Professor Zhao's team will develop low-cost and scalable synthesis of functional nanomaterials that will make the smart windows work.
Windows play an important role in the energy efficiency of offices, schools and homes, and the new smart windows promised significant energy savings by reducing reliance on air conditioning, heating and artificial lighting, claims the engineers.
Conventional windows enable energy exchange almost 10 times that of insulated walls, and thus are responsible for a massive amount of energy wastage that can account for more than 50 percent of the energy consumed for HVAC, especially during the summer and winter.
“Besides residential buildings, this is particularly important for office buildings, hotels, and schools where the energy consumption for heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) and lighting are more than 70 per cent of the total energy consumption,” Professor Zhao said.
In addition to developing functional nanomaterials, the research project will also facilitate the commercialisation of the new windows by investigating how these new materials can be integrated into the glass manufacturing process so as to assist Australia’s manufacturing industry and environmental sustainability.
The goal of the project is to facilitate widespread adoption of energy-saving smart windows, reduce the demand for energy, and contribute to the goal of sustainable working and living environment. Additionally, smart windows are able to offer several dynamic functions such as self-cleaning, thermochromics and solar-harvesting, and user-controlled functions such as heating, electrochromics, and interactive display.
“With the advancement of materials science and the Internet of Things, smart windows will be more prevalent and will be important in building automation and energy management," Professor Zhao explained.