May 22 2014
Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Global Smart Windows Market Report 2014 - Forecasts to 2021" report to their offering.
The smart windows sector will be dominated by active technologies over the next decade despite their higher cost. This is because of the ability of smart windows technologies to provide instantaneous response to user needs as natural light conditions change. Although passive smart windows technologies will continue to expand throughout the forecasting period covered by the report, it is expected that they will never be much more than a niche.
The report also claims that SPD and electrochromic smart windows will find a growing role in the automotive sector. Although primarily found in luxury cars today, these high-tech windows are expected to be much more widely used in the coming decade. They are no longer just a cool design feature but can lead to a significant lowering of fuel costs through the reduction in the use of air conditioning. Consequently, it is believed that sales of smart windows to the car, truck and public transport sectors will leap from around $23 million today to $185 million by 2019.
Meanwhile, the sales of smart windows for use in buildings will also leap primarily because of regulations in Europe and the US requiring the buildings to be zero net energy compliant towards. It is believed that smart windows will turn out to be a critical enabling technology for zero net energy buildings not just because of their ability to reduce cooling bills but also they can be hybridized with photovoltaics layers which will enable them to generate energy, not just conserve it. It is believed that as a result smart windows for residential construction will reach $117 million by 2019 and sales to commercial construction were $460 million by 2019
Electrochromic smart windows (including glass and film) will reach $622 million by 2019 making electrochromics the largest segment of the entire smart windows business. It is believed this may have much to do with the fact that this sector can boast significant investment by influential firms such as Corning, GE and Saint-Gobain, and Seagate. Alternatives to the electrochromic materials platform do not have the same level of clout behind them.