SAGE Electrochromics

SAGE Electrochromics, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Saint-Gobain, is a specialized window glass developer based in Faribault, Minnesota.

SAGE Electrochromics, Inc.
Private
IndustryArchitectural glass
Founded1989
FounderJohn Van Dine
Headquarters44°19′42″N 93°17′29″W,
Faribault, MN
,
USA
ProductsElectrochromic glass
Number of employees
231 (2016)
Websitewww.sageglass.com

The company develops electronically tintable smart glass (also called electrochromic glass, EC, or dynamic glass), for use in building windows, skylights and curtainwalls, that can be electronically tinted or cleared to optimize daylight and improve occupant comfort in buildings.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), "(SAGE's SageGlass technology) has the potential to reduce building heating and air conditioning equipment size by up to 25%, resulting in construction cost savings."[1]

History

The company was founded in 1989 by former CEO John Van Dine as Sun Active Glass Electrochromics, Inc. (SAGE) in a Valley Cottage, New York, laboratory.[2] In 1992 the company moved to Rutgers University’s Department of Ceramic Science and Engineering for R&D collaboration with Rutgers scientists.[2]

In 1994, the company changed its name to SAGE Electrochromics, Inc.

It moved to Faribault, Minnesota, in 1998, where over the next five years it refined the production process and testing of its first commercial product, SageGlass, in its pilot line facility.[3][4] Samples of these insulating glass units (IGUs) were tested by the Department of Energy[5] in the glass fabricating and OEM skylight industry.[6]

In 2005, SAGE moved to its new headquarters and manufacturing facility, and commercially launched its first-generation SageGlass product.[7]

In March 2010, SAGE announced[8] more than $100 million in DOE funding and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) tax credits to build a new facility in Faribault, Minnesota, to mass-produce SageGlass IGUs.[1][9]

The company ultimately decided to withdraw from the government funding program. Shortly thereafter, the company announced a new product that combines electrochromic technology with low U-factor triple-pane window glass construction.[10]

On November 10, 2010,French glass and building materials company Saint-Gobain acquired 50 percent of the SAGE with plans to share the two companies electrochromic glass technology and research and development efforts, The companies are also building the world's first large-scale electrochromic glass plant in Faribault, Minnesota.[11]

In May 2012 Saint-Gobain announced they had acquired 100% of SAGE. The company became a wholly owned subsidiary of Saint-Gobain at that time. [12]

In 2012, the company filed a patent infringement suit against View; View counter-sued a few months later.[13]

Funding

In July 2007, the company received $16 million in Series B financing[14] from Good Energies, Applied Ventures, LLC and Bekaert. In February 2009, SAGE received an additional $20 million round from the same investors.[15]

As of 2010, SAGE Electrochromics has received more than $50 million in venture capital funding and government grants.[16][14][17]

In March 2010, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced that the DOE had awarded SAGE a conditional commitment for a $72 million loan guarantee, along with the $31 million Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credit SAGE was awarded earlier.[18] The loan guarantee and tax credits are to be used to help SAGE establish a new facility to expand production and lower costs of its electrochromic glass, with the goal to make buildings more energy efficient and create new green manufacturing and construction jobs.[1] The funding was granted under the Department of Energy’s Loan Guarantee Program, established under the Energy Policy Act of 2005, to support new technologies that reduce or sequester greenhouse gases.

The 50 percent acquisition of SAGE by Saint-Gobain in November 2010 was an additional $80 million investment.[19] SAGE will manufacture the electrochromic glass for both companies at the new Faribault, Minnesota, plant. The facility will allow production of larger sheets of dynamic glass at high volumes, making it suitable and affordable for most buildings.[19]

Technology

SageGlass is electronically tintable glass for use in buildings.[20] It incorporates nanotechnology consisting of five layers of ceramic materials, which have a total thickness that is less than 1/50th that of a human hair.[20][21] When voltage is applied [less than 5V DC] it darkens as lithium ions and associated electrons transfer from the counter electrode to an electrochromic electrode layer[22] (see Figure 1). Reversing the voltage polarity causes the ions and associated electrons to return to their original layer, the counter electrode, and the glass clears. This solid state electrochromic reaction is controlled through a low voltage DC power supply. When the SageGlass coating darkens, the sun’s light and heat are absorbed and subsequently reradiated from the glass surface to the exterior.

Figure 1: How electrochromic glass works.

In addition to stopping solar heat gain, electrochromic IGUs block glare, reduce fading, eliminate the need for some other architectural environmental controls such as window shades and awnings, and enable building inhabitants to continually view the outdoors.[23][24]

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See also

References
  1. "DOE Offers $72 Million Conditional Loan Guarantee to SAGE Electrochromics" (Press release). U.S. Department of Energy. 2010-03-05.
  2. Window Technology, National Institute of Standards and Technology,Advanced Technology Program Status Report
  3. C.G.Granqvist, Crit. Rev. Solid State Mater. Sci. 16, 291-308 (1990); C.M.Lampert, Solar Energy Materials, 11, 1-27 (1984)
  4. Electrochromics, Achieving Business Excellence, 2009-06-08
  5. , How long will EC window coatings last? The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Environmental Energy Technologies Division, Advancement of Electrochromic Windows website
  6. OF ELECTROCHROMIC WINDOWS, Thermal Calibration of the Windows Testbed Facility Technical Report, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 2006-04
  7. "Minnesota Investment Network Corporation Invests in High-Tech Architectural Glass Manufacturer" (Press release). SAGE Electrochromics, Inc. 2005-02-02.
  8. "$100+ million in DOE funding and Internal Revenue Service green manufacturing tax credits will bring SAGE's revolutionary energy-saving dynamic glass to the world" (Press release). Businesswire.com. 2010-03-05.
  9. "Sage Electrochromics SageGlass: Improving Indoor Environments Through Light Quality". Green-Buildings.com.
  10. "SAGE Introduces World's Most Energy-Efficient Window Glass". Nanowerk News. 2010-03-31.
  11. "Saint-Gobain: Acquires 50% Of Sage Electrochromics". Wall Street Journal. 2010-11-10.
  12. "Saint-Gobain Acquires Sage Electrochromics for Smart Windows". Greentech Media. 9 May 2012. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
  13. "Corning leads $62M investment in 'smart' glass maker View". SPIE Europe. 19 June 2013.
  14. , SAGE Electrochromics Secures $16 Million in Series B Financing, SAGE Electrochromics press release, July 17, 2007
  15. , Energy-saving glass maker picks up $20 million, CNET News, Green Tech, Feb. 25, 2009
  16. Pulling back the curtains, Owatonna.com, 2010-07-2010
  17. Smart Windows Open Up More Funding for SAGE, GigaOM, 2009-02-24
  18. , DOE Offers $72 Million Conditional Loan Guarantee to SAGE Electrochromics, U.S. DOE press release, March 5, 2010
  19. "Saint-Gobain invests $80 million in SAGE to make energy saving glass". Energy Efficiency News. 2010-11-15.
  20. Windows that can be Electronically Switched from Clear to Tinted, The Energy Blog, 2006-11-27
  21. C.G.Granqvist, ‘Handbook of Inorganic Electrochromic Materials’, Elsevier (1995), Chapter 1 p1
  22. efficient glass manufacturing supported by DOE and IRS tax credits, Plant Engineering, 2010-03-23
  23. Networking for Dynamic Window Systems, Energy and Buildings, 3002-10-03S
  24. Glass a breakthrough in energy-saving and “green” building, IP Glass Technology, 2007-12
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