The Spanish company Onyx Solar has launched the first photovoltaic ‘low-e’ glass, which can generate electricity costing up to 90% less than energy purchased from the traditional utility grid.

The glass from Onyx Solar has the same properties as low-e (low emissivity) glass, but can also generate clean, free energy from the Sun. The first photovoltaic low-e glass to hit the market has a solar factor of between 10% and 40%, allowing for optimal internal temperature control and therefore large savings in heating and air conditioning bills.

In addition, the glass can selectively filter harmful radiation and absorb between 85% and 96% of total infrared radiation, and up to 99% of ultraviolet radiation. At the same time, it has transparency levels of between 10% and 30% in order to let natural light enter a building.

This photovoltaic low-e glass lets the owners of a building generate clean energy that is cheaper than electricity bought from the grid, at a cost that is guaranteed to remain constant for the next 25 years.

The Spanish firm has recently begun its largest project to date in South America, where it was chosen to supply photovoltaic glass for 33 skylights. They will be used in the roof of the main terminal at the Viracopos-Campinas International Airport in Sao Paulo, Brazil, which is the largest in South America.

Onyx Solar is also the creator of the first walkable photovoltaic flooring in the world, which made its debut at the Virginia campus of George Washington University in the United States.