CPV Chart Thread, page-4444

Hi holders,
I want to be upfront in stating that I have no holdings in this co. and this post isn't intended to ramp in any direction. Just thought you may be interested in an impartial view. First off I have to say I love the concept of this tech. If viable and the economics stand up it should be mandatory in commercial builds and supported through subsidies for private construction.

However viability and economies are where there are question marks for me. I've done some research - limited I admit but equivalent to what a curious potential customer would do - and there seems a lack of hard data and the type of info necessary to commit to purchasing the product. (I was going to add a comment about lack of transparency and opaque business dealings but I reckon you would have heard them all by now.)

In no particular order the problems seem to me to be
- Transparency. 70% is advertised as if this is a good thing and for a pv panel its outstanding. However an architect wanting to clad an office tower in glass is not going to be impressed. A 30% minimum loss in clarity may not matter much for viewing close range but distant vistas are going to resemble a view from a smog choked Chinese industrial city. This factor will of course matter less in other situations but it is something builders of high-rises will take into account.
- Cost. What is it? I know its early days for the co. but the total lack of a pricing structure on its website does raise questions. The design life of the panels is said to be 20 years so does the power generated compensate for the added cost of the window? After all if it costs an extra $1000 (say) and produces $900 worth of electricity over its lifetime then there's a problem right there.
- Aesthetics. Does the appearance of the window as viewed from the outside differ from normal windows? This could become an issue if large buildings have clearvue on the north facing walls (sthn hemisphere) but standard windows elsewhere to reduce costs.
- Longevity. 20 years is roughly equivalent to standard pv's but replacing clearvue windows is probably not going to happen. The design lifetime of a concrete and glass curtain wall building is 60 years so do the occupants resign themselves to 40 years of cloudy windows?
- The thin film coating on the inside facing surface of the window. Just how durable is it? A few years of bored office workers bouncing their stress balls off of it could seriously degrade the performance specs. Bus shelters generating their own power is a great idea - right up until the local kids discover the film. The little buggers will be carving their tags in it don't you worry about that. Can the film be re-applied easily or is it a once only proposition?

My apologies if these points have been addressed elsewhere on other threads. I've had a browse but didn't see them. I don't have any skin in CPV and as I said I love the concept. IMO though there are a few hurdles yet to clear before widespread acceptance.
GLTAH