The color change on the windows is activated by sunlight, but the building’s users can also do it according to their needs. This is a project by the University of Minho to boost energy efficiency.
A team from the University of Minho’s School of Science (ECUM) is developing a window that is activated by sunlight and changes color according to the building’s thermal needs, becoming more opaque in summer and more transparent in winter. This innovation aims to improve comfort and energy efficiency and reduce costs.
In a statement, the University of Minho explains that the color change is possible thanks to a film made of natural polymers – such as cellulose, agar-agar, chitin and chitosan – which is placed between the double glazing. The film can also be connected to an electrical circuit, which allows occupants to activate the window and change the color according to their needs.
The transition from static to dynamic windows reduces the building’s energy needs in real time, as it adjusts the entry of sunlight and heat, and adapts to the user’s choice, regardless of the climate, geography, weather, season or orientation of the room.
“This smart or dynamic window uses materials taken from nature, which are easy to extract from crustacean derivatives, for example, and which replace the use of synthetic polymers obtained from petroleum,” the director of ECUM’s Chemistry Center, Maria Manuela Silva, said in a statement.
The film is a functionalized solid membrane, including an electrochromic layer and almost transparent components, to continue allowing good visibility. According to the researcher, “the idea is that this innovative material can be easily installed in double-glazed windows and contribute to greater energy efficiency in buildings”, but also to improving the internal environment by adjusting luminosity and visual comfort.
For Maria Manuela Silva, the project, called “SolPoWins – Smart Windows Powered by the Sun for Sustainable Buildings”, is a “significant step” towards the European Union’s sustainability goals and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, through zero-energy buildings.
“Today’s buildings use a lot of glass in their construction, which increases energy expenditure on heating and cooling, accounting for around 40% of the total energy spent at European level,” the researcher warns.
The “SolPoWins – Smart Windows Powered by the Sun for Sustainable Buildings” project is being developed in partnership with the universities of Porto, Aveiro, Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro and Beira Interior. The initiative, funded to the tune of 249,000 euros by the Foundation for Science and Technology, ends in December.
She might have chosen to study Meteorology and Oceanography, but ultimately pursued Communication. And that's fine because if they don't get their weather predictions right, she wouldn't be the one to change that. She started by looking for sustainable ideas and projects for the university, and since then, she has never stopped (who stops, really?). She loves to watch tv shows, but she watches few because she is demanding. You don't need much to convince her to embrace new, "greener" habits and challenges.
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