ClearVue Technologies, an Australian solar technology company, will set up a joint venture with a Chinese partner in Hong Kong to produce power-generating glass for building facades, a concept seen as timely given rising energy prices amid geopolitical tensions.
The Australian Securities Exchange-listed firm aims to take advantage of the manufacturing prowess of mainland China to provide “affordable” glass for commercial buildings via the joint venture with vacuum-glass maker LandVac, said Doug Hunt, managing director and CEO of ClearVue, in an interview.
The venture will use a patented technology that integrates solar panels into the glass, which could cut a building’s energy use by about 70 per cent according to tests, Hunt said.
“If we can cut energy use in buildings and even more generally, we will be more independent from [oil price volatility],” he added.
The conflict in the Middle East had changed “the whole mindset” related to energy use, Leung said.
Since the outbreak of the US-Israel war on Iran at the end of February, oil prices have broken all-time highs multiple times, with Brent crude standing firm above US$105 per barrel as of Friday, around 46 per cent above the pre-conflict level.
