AGC (Headquarters: Tokyo; President: Yoshinori Hirai), a world-leading manufacturer of glass, chemicals, and high-tech materials, has announced that its Sunjoule^TM photovoltaic glass has been adopted for the entrance canopy of the Global Zero Emission Research Center of AIST (National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, President: Kazuhiko Ishimura).

The Global Zero Emission Research Center^* (GZR) was established in January 2020 at AIST Tsukuba Center West, where research is being conducted in collaboration with world-leading national research institutes and others to create epoch-making environmental innovations that will realize a zero-emission society. The entrance canopy of the research center was designed as the "Zero-Emi Tree," a tree symbolizing a decarbonized society, based on the motif of the abundant trees on the grounds that tell the story of the history of AIST.

Sunjoule^TM photovoltaic glass has been chosen for the canopy because it not only creates a tree-like design motif, but also enables the use of renewable energy, which GZR is promoting. It has a power generation capacity of 6.9kW, which is equivalent to the electricity required to light the entrance area of the building, and the arrangement of cells resembling leaves creates a sense of sunlight filtering through trees. The sloped canopy has a complex 3D shape designed to create an image that warmly welcomes visitors.

Under its AGC plus 2.0 management policy, the AGC Group is creating products that add various pluses for society including safety, security, and comfort and for customers including new value and functionality. The AGC Group will continue to strive to provide new possibilities for glass that can contribute to the realization of a carbon-neutral society.

^*Global Zero Emission Research Center
The GZR was established in 2020 as an R&D base to promote technological research in the context of the Japanese government's "Innovative Environmental Innovation Strategy," which aims to establish innovative technologies that will enable the world to become carbon neutral by 2050.

About the Sunjoule^TM Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) module
This is a light-collecting photovoltaic glass that is based on the use of laminated glass. Photovoltaic cells are enclosed between the glass, which enables to create energy from the installed glass used as canopies and facades. It realizes a sense of openness combined with heat shielding performance, has outstanding aesthetics, and offers broad design freedom in laying out cells. The product has been installed in over 250 sites since its launch in 2000. In today's world, environmental consideration is demanded in a variety of settings, and Sunjoule^TM addresses this by not only supporting ZEB (Net Zero Energy Building) and contributing to the realization of a carbon-neutral society but also opening up new possibilities for glass.
Product website (https://www.agc-gk.com/bldg/products/sunjoule/) (in Japanese only)

Case study on the Shimizu Corporation website (in Japanese only)
https://www.shimz.co.jp/shimzdesign/dde/case/07.html