The groundbreaking installation features six transparent photovoltaic windows, each measuring 40 by 60 inches, for a total of 100 square feet of NEXT’s proprietary energy-generating glass. This marks the world’s first installation of its kind: a Building Integrated PV facade featuring organic photovoltaic (OPV) coatings developed by NEXT.
Each insulating glass unit incorporates NEXT’s OPV coating on the outboard lite and runs cables through the framing system. The high-performance windows were fabricated with Low-e coated inboard lites and spacers supplied by Viracon. Walters & Wolf designed, supplied, and installed the framing system as part of the facade integration, showcasing NEXT’s seamless integration into the window fabrication supply chain.
“The successful scaling of NEXT’s OPV technology, both on glass and in facades, takes NEXT and the industry closer to a future of sustainable building design,” said Daniel Emmett, CEO, Executive Chairman, and Co-Founder of NEXT.
Installed at the company’s Santa Barbara headquarters, the windows now offer architects, developers, and industry stakeholders a real-world demonstration of NEXT’s aesthetic, energy-producing glass in action.
“This is the first of many,” added Jonathan Hafemann, NEXT’s VP, Commercialization & Growth. “We’re thrilled to share this tangible demonstration of our vision for energy-generating facades, and to invite the industry to imagine what’s possible when windows do more than just manage heat gain and U-Value.”
NEXT’s transparent OPV technology enables commercial windows to generate solar energy, turning building facades into on-site power sources. This innovation supports greater energy efficiency, generates clean power at the point of use, enhances building resilience, and helps improve grid efficiency.
When integrated into a building, a NEXT OPV facade can generate enough electricity to offset approximately 20–25% of the energy consumption typical of commercial properties while leveraging the existing infrastructure of a commercial facade. By capturing and converting infrared light, the windows also help lower indoor cooling demands, easing the load on HVAC systems.
