SolarWindow CEO John Conklin: Solar Energy Options for Cleantech Investors

The solar energy market is heating up, and innovative companies in the cleantech sector are taking note of its potential. One of those is SolarWindow Technologies (OTCMKTS:WNDW), a developer of electricity-generating window coatings.
In an interview with the Investing News Network, SolarWindow President and CEO John Conklin explained his company’s unique value proposition and shared his thoughts on the solar energy market as a whole. Cleantech investors should take note, as Conklin has a very positive outlook on the market.

Innovative tech from SolarWindow

SolarWindow is making a name for itself as an innovative creator of a transparent coating that generates electricity. “We consider ourselves the leader in transparent electricity-generating coatings for glass and flexible plastic,” Conklin asserted. According to the CEO, “when modeled for a 50-story building, [SolarWindow coatings] show 50 times more energy and 15 times the environmental benefit of conventional PV models for the same rooftop area of that building.”

He sees investors’ interest in the company as a no brainer, as SolarWindow has clearly differentiated itself from competitors in the solar energy market. “Our whole basic premise for manufacturability is that we’re low cost, we’re all liquid and we’re much faster and less finicky than conventional solar,” he said. For example, the company’s coatings don’t need high temperatures or low vacuum pressures to produce energy.
Going into more detail, Conklin explained, “we are substantially different from conventional PV as we know it today. Our coatings are primarily organic, and they are applied at ambient conditions.” Most importantly, “the technology is transparent so it makes a perfect application for a window. SolarWindow is an electricity-generating technology that’s been developed for a window with the whole window manufacturing process in mind.”
One of the key features of the product is that it doesn’t need sunlight to produce electricity. Because of this feature, SolarWindow’s “technology does not have to face south. We can put our technology on all four sides of the building, and we work under low light, shaded light, diffused light and reflective light. That makes it attractive for putting the technology all around the building … presenting an opportunity to turn a building into an envelope of renewable energy,” said Conklin.
That’s all in contrast to typical solar energy technologies, which take up a lot of space. “Real estate is important, so we’re going vertical and saying we’re not going to disrupt that real estate,” declared Conklin, adding, “with a product like SolarWindow … we look at the towers and skyscrapers and see that glass is a vast surface area that has untapped potential to generate energy.”

Macro view of the market for cleantech investors

When asked why consumers are turning to solar energy, Conklin offered a couple of hypotheses. He suggested that “the cost of technology is coming down and based on the energy produced … cost per watt is becoming more economically feasible.” That means that a location could potentially produce its own power for less than it would pay for grid-sourced electricity.
However, headwinds for solar energy still exist. One potential deterrent to transferring to solar energy might be the volatility in oil prices today. “Many think that because there’s such a slump in the oil price that it’s going to create problems for renewable energy and the deployability of solar energy,” said Conklin. But he disagrees with this assessment: “I don’t believe this is the big picture.”
Overall, Conklin sees the solar energy market “going up.” One key leveraging asset in the US is the renewal of the Investment Tax Credit — he predicts that it will make the deployment of renewable energy boom in the US. An influx in investment and innovation will also help the industry surpass the 10-GW goal that the US set not too long ago. “I think we’re going to surpass that by a very large margin,” said Conklin.
Although today’s top three countries for renewable or solar energy are China, the US and Japan (followed by rapidly growing India in fourth place), Conklin sees this hierarchy changing. “I think that you’re going to find that the US is probably going to overtake China to become the number-one country,” he said. In essence, Conklin’s viewpoint is simple: “from my perspective, renewable energy, especially solar PV, is here to stay in the US.”

Tune in next week to hear another thought leader’s view on the rapidly developing market for solar energy in the US, and click here to read last week’s interview on the subject. Also, don’t forget to follow us @INN_Technology for real-time news updates in the cleantech and solar energy sectors.
 
Securities Disclosure: I, Morag McGreevey, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.
Editorial Disclosure: The Investing News Network does not guarantee the accuracy or thoroughness of the information reported in the interviews it conducts. The opinions expressed in these interviews do not reflect the opinions of the Investing News Network and do not constitute investment advice. All readers are encouraged to perform their own due diligence.