Guardian Industries and Pythagoras Solar have announced they are working together to manufacture and market SunGuard Photovoltaic Glass Units (PVGU) for commercial buildings. Guardian SunGuard PVGU, powered by Pythagoras, combines Pythagoras Solar PVGU tiles with SunGuard advanced architectural glass to create a building-integrated photovoltaic product.

This replaces standard vision and spandrel glass or skylights, with a glass product that converts direct sunlight into energy.

"Pythagoras Solar is clearly on the cutting edge of this technology, that is ready for wider adoption in commercial applications, as evident by their having recently received the prestigious GE Ecomagination award," said Guardian Glass Group President Scott Thomsen.

"BIPV is increasingly being specified for commercial applications and together Guardian and Pythagoras will provide applied solutions for energy efficient buildings."

A recent report from industry analyst firm NanoMarkets estimates that the total market for BIPV glass will reach $6.4 billion (USD) in revenues in 2016 compared to $1.5 billion in 2012.

"We're pleased that architects and building owners will further benefit through access to our production-ready, new BIPV technology through Guardian Industries, a reliable, high-quality industry leader," said Gonen Fink, Pythagoras co-founder and CEO.

SunGuard PVGU will help architects and building owners who are looking for solutions to achieve net-zero buildings. The product lets in diffused light, increases energy efficiency and generates electricity from the building facade, helping projects achieve new "green" energy codes.

Additionally, BIPV projects may be eligible to earn substantial federal tax credits. SunGuard PVGU is the first in what will be many new developments from the Guardian SunGuard Advanced Glazing Products family.

Guardian SunGuard PVGU offers architects and building owners:

Energy efficiency - Complementing Low-E SunGuard products, SunGuard PVGU reduces solar heat gain resulting in reduced energy demands on HVAC systems, optimizes daylighting and through its insulated unit, improves a thermal barrier.

Energy generation - The PVGU allows transmission of ambient light while generating electricity at a rate comparable to crystalline silicon PV modules at the same orientation. Optimal glazing would include the south, east and west facing facades.

Aesthetic appeal - SunGuard PVGU offers a range of glass configurations so it can blend with building vision glass.

Energy savings - SunGuard PVGU breaks the existing trade-off between high module efficiency and low transparency

Architectural appeal - Available in a variety of sizes, the insulated glass units are transparent and feature adaptable design to ease their integration into the building architecture.

"As we developed PVGU with Pythagoras, our research showed architects are interested in BIPV products with strong design and performance features," added Chris Dolan, Guardian director of commercial glass marketing.

"When used with Guardian SunGuard low-E glass, PVGU addresses the growing demand for energy-efficient buildings."

"Guardian's bold move in launching SunGuard PVGU with Pythagoras Solar's technology addresses the biggest barrier to improving sustainability in buildings at a large scale, which is not a lack of building product innovation, but rather the lack of a credible, committed large-scale partner to bring these innovations quickly to market," said Rob Watson, chairman, CEO and chief scientist, EcoTech International and founding father of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program.