| Project Detail |
Glass and glazing tends to be regarded as a passive material that has little use other than lighting and appearance, however, it has been established that properly formulated glazing components can have a dramatic impact on the overall energy use in buildings. The development of sound theoretical models and the demonstration of the Thermoelectric Generator (TEG) suggest that the next energy breakthrough in glazing and windows will be to convert sunlight falling on the glazing (which results in a temperature gradient within/across the glazing) into significant amounts of electricity for use in that building or for re-circulation to the grid. Therefore, complex and interlocking issues that need to be solved include:
• A continued improvement in glazing that will maximize thermal gradient across the integrated TEG but maintain the primary function as light providers.
• The need for new TEG materials that can maximise the conversion of full spectrum incident sunlight into usable current.
• The extraction and use of the power generated and the technical issues associated with returning it to the grid.
• The public policy and new business models required to turn a successful technical prototype into a commercial reality.
My research programme based on training at Lawrence Berkeley Lab, USA, Dublin Institute of Technology, Ireland and Coventry University, UK will directly address each of these problems in an integrated and holistic fashion. |
