The ability to harness solar energy is of great interest to consumers and companies alike. If a company can find an attractive, inexpensive and efficient way to collect the sun’s rays, it will cut energy consumption. If the end consumer can reduce energy bills in a cost effective manner, there will be a market.
 
One promising area is the field of smart windows. Sunlight reaching films on windows can be converted into energy. High-volume manufacturing techniques would be needed to help bring smart windows to fruition.
 
Argil is one company that may have the solution for this. A start-up based in San Jose, CA, right in the heart of Silicon Valley, Argil was founded in 2012 to develop cost effective smart window products by using low cost, high volume roll-to-roll printing process. Argil founder and CEO Damoder Reddy is a serial entrepreneur with more than 20 years of experience in developing electronic products such as displays and thin film solar cells using novel materials and roll-to-roll printing process.
 
Reddy said that electrochromic polymer materials and low cost solution-based processing are key to Argil’s approach to smart window production.
 
“The key technologies behind Argil’s smart window film are novel electrochromic polymer materials and low cost solution-based processing to manufacture these smart window films,” Reddy said. “Argil technology is supported by more than 10 patents, and the original technology was developed at a university and exclusively licensed to Argil to commercialize this technology. Additional materials and process technologies including roll-to-roll printing were developed by Argil to rapidly commercialize the novel materials and device designs.”
 
Automotive, architectural and wearable markets are natural fits for smart windows.
 
“One target market for Argil electrochromic film are in the automotive market segments, such as dynamic sunroofs, dynamic side windows and rear windows to reduce solar glare and heat load into the vehicle.,” Reddy noted. “Target markets also include architectural markets such as commercial and residential building windows, to improve their energy efficiency by reducing heat load into the building. Argil electrochromic film operates at low voltage with very little power consumption, making it suitable for wearables such as sunglasses, goggles, visors etc.”
 
Argil competes with standard electrochromic windows in the architectural market, and suspended particle-based SPD film in the automotive market.
 
Reddy said that Argil’s electrochromic film’s advantage over vacuum-deposited electrochromic windows is two to three times lower cost, faster switching speeds (seconds vs. minutes) and multiple color options.
 
“Argil electrochromic films are built on flexible substrates (not on glass), hence they can be produced in high volume using a roll-to-roll process,” Reddy observed. “Argil’s electrochromic films can be manufactured in one location and shipped around the world, where they can be cut into desired size and laminated to glass closer to the end users unlike vacuum deposited electrochromic window products deposited directly on glass, which are typically produced closer to the customers or incur expensive shipping costs.”
 
Reddy added that Argil’s electrochromic films have significant advantages over SPD films currently being used in the very high end of the automotive market. Argil EC films operate at low voltage (100V), have low haze (2% vs. 7%), with excellent optical memory (SPD has no memory), have very low power consumption (100x lower than SPD) and cost less (2x lower than SPD).
 
Overall, Reddy has high hopes for Argil’s potential in the smart windows sector.
 
“Argil has an excellent opportunity to enter automotive, architectural and wearable markets, as we can offer many advantages compared to the incumbent technologies,” he said. “To the best of our knowledge, no other smart window technology can offer the benefits offered by Argil printed electrochromic film.
 
“Argil printed electrochromic film and in the general the printed electronic industry will thrive by enabling new applications at reduced manufacturing costs that are not possible using incumbent technologies,” Reddy concluded.