SolReina’s patented solar window wins best protected invention award in Spain

From pv magazine Spain

Spanish BIPV manufacturer SolReina has won the award for Best Utility Model for its BIPV window at the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office's Best Invention Protected by Industrial Property Awards.

Competing against 153 other competing projects, José Reina García presented his invention from the Asturias-based construction firm Asturbath Reformas (SolReina Group): a solar window with a PV panel as a folding and adjustable shutter, capable of efficiently generating electricity from sunlight.

Reina spoke with pv magazine about the solar window, which he said “transcends the conventional definition of a window.”

The windows are composed of BIPV glass-glass panels with thermal and acoustic insulation and are designed for use on building exteriors. They use high-security tempered glass and “achieve excellent resistance against mechanical stress, such as from hail, and temperature changes,” says Reina.

The front part contains tempered solar glass with high transmissivity, low reflectivity and low iron content. They use high-efficiency crystalline silicon cells to transform solar radiation energy into direct current electrical energy. Each cell is electrically classified to optimize module performance.

The cell circuit is laminated between two sheets of polyvinyl butyral (PVB), which has anti-aging properties, as an encapsulant for protection against humidity, stability against ultraviolet (UV) rays and electrical insulation.

The back of the PV modules consists of tempered glass with low iron content.

The junction box, with IP67, is made of high temperature resistant plastics and contains terminals, connection terminals and bypass diodes. These modules are supplied with cables symmetrical in length, with a diameter of 4 mm copper cross-section and very low contact resistance, designed to achieve minimum losses due to voltage drop.

The windows can regulate their orientation and adopt different stable positions, for example, depending on the angle of solar radiation to maximize the collection of solar energy. They can also be completely folded down in a position parallel to the wall to offer minimal resistance to wind, rain or on days with very high radiation and high temperatures.

The windows can also be adapted to different sizes, shapes and architectural designs, scaled according to the specific needs of each project, and built with different BIPV panel finishes. The frame is made of aluminum.

“In general terms, a standard solar window can generate approximately between 150 and 225 W/m2,” says Reina, stressing that, “It has been proven that this window can reduce the need for electric air conditioning by up to 80% on hot days and produces 15% more photovoltaic energy than a rooftop installation.”

The windows are currently manufactured and marketed in Spain, but the manufacturer has extended the patent to Germany with the intention “not only to expand our market share, but also to establish strategic collaborations with European partners.”