In the context of the Paris Agreement, the European Union (EU) signed in 2019 the European Green Deal - a plan to make the EU sustainable and climate-neutral by 2050 (EC, 2021). This roadmap consists of 50 concrete actions and covers all sectors of the economy, including the glass transformation and marketing sector.
Buildings accounted in 2020 for 36% of the EU's total CO2 emissions. To meet the target set in the European Green Deal for 2050, the energy consumption of buildings and associated CO2 emissions must be reduced. According to the " Flat Glass in Climate-Neutral Europe" study by Glass Alliance Europe, in 2020, glass is the only material that promotes energy efficiency, transparency, safety, and durability at an affordable price in the building sector and is indispensable in the transition towards a neutral EU.
“Glass is a key enabling material for a carbon neutral Europe and its industry aims to remain at the forefront of low-carbon solutions in the European Union”
If the carbon levels expected in 2050 are to be met, work needs to get started now.
On average, 48% of building facades are made of glass, and this figure can reach 100% in the case of skyscrapers. Therefore, it is essential to use high-tech, energy-efficient glasses that give buildings the necessary aesthetic, safety, and acoustic properties, as well as thermal insulation and solar control. By replacing the existing glasses with intelligent and high-performance ones, energy savings of around 37% can be expected by 2050 (Glass Alliance Europe, 2021).
SMART GLASSES
Smart glasses are extremely beneficial in the construction of green buildings. The heating and cooling of buildings have a high impact on our CO2 footprint and windows are one of the most common ways for heat to escape. One example of smart glasses is switchable glass, i.e. glasses that adapt to the surroundings - heat, and sunlight - with a consequent increase in building performance by 20%.
How does it work? A thin film of many randomly oriented particles in a liquid is added to the layers of glass, preventing any light from passing through, making the glass opaque. When you flip a switch, the particles align themselves in such a way as to allow light to pass through and, as a result, the glass becomes transparent.
Glass can also help to reduce energy consumption in buildings and generate renewable energy. Beyond the already known solar panels, composed of the glass, the opaque parts of the buildings themselves, notably in the facades, roofs, and skylights can be covered by glass with photovoltaic functions that allow the generation of renewable energy for the whole building, the so-called Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV).
It is also worth highlighting the fact that the glass in the building's facades and windows, double and triple, can itself be combined with transparent photovoltaic particles. This technology enables the functionalities that characterize glass - aesthetics, safety, solar control, and thermal insulation - to be combined with energy generation, thus contributing to an increase in energy efficiency (Glass Alliance Europe, 2021).
This transition depends on all of us. In Nortempera we provide the necessary technical support in the replacement of glasses for more efficient and intelligent ones so that, together, we can contribute to a carbon-neutral Europe.
We have a technical advisory service.