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.
InvestHK, the Hong Kong government’s investment promotion unit, advised ClearVue on basing its operation in the city and was planning a programme to attract investors and encourage adoption of the solar glass, said King Leung, InvestHK’s global head of financial services, fintech and sustainability.
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....
