New Energy Technologies, Inc. (OTCQB: NENE), announced that, as part of the Company’s ongoing pathway to commercialize its SolarWindow™ technology, capable of generating electricity on see-thru glass windows, four new patent applications have been filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Including previous patent submissions, a total of 10 new patent applications have been filed for SolarWindow™, and 18 International and US patent filings have been submitted for protection of New Energy’s MotionPower™ technology, engineered to generate electricity from vehicles as they slow or come to a stop.
“We recently announced plans to advance our alternative energy technologies, SolarWindow™ and MotionPower™, towards manufacturability and commercialization. An important precursor to commercial launch of these first-of-their-kind technologies is the protection of valuable intellectual property related to our underlying inventions,” explained Mr. John A. Conklin, President and CEO of New Energy Technologies, Inc.
“With a total of 28 new patents filed internationally and in the United States, I’m proud to announce that we are making important strides in safeguarding the technological breakthroughs which make it possible to create meaningful commercial products from our early inventions.”
Among such inventions are important SolarWindow™-related discoveries, including New Energy’s development of:
- Coatings that remain see-thru while generating electricity;
- Electricity-generating coatings that can be sprayed on to glass surfaces;
- Electricity-generating coatings that can applied at room temperature, unlike temperature and pressure sensitive manufacturing required in the production of other solar-photovoltaic products;
- Transparent ‘contacts’ that conduct electricity generated on SolarWindow™ without the loss of transparency, an issue typical to conventional contacts, which make use of metals;
- Improved solar cell arrangement and array architecture to increase electrical power production;
- Manufacturing methods for improved electrical power production; and
- Replacement compounds that support one of the most important functions for generating electricity on glass surfaces of SolarWindow™, namely, the movement of electrons. This ‘flow’ of electrons (negatively charged particles) is fundamental to generating electric ‘current’, necessary for powering appliances and fixtures.
Late last year, many of these patent-pending discoveries were collectively unveiled as a working SolarWindow™ model to mainstream media, scientists, academics, industry attendees, and investors.
At a high-profile public demonstration, attendees witnessed New Energy’s SolarWindow™ prototypes in action, successfully producing sufficient voltage to power electrical lights and generating enough current to drive a mechanical device. During the demonstration, SolarWindow™ not only generated electrical power from exposure to sunlight but also from artificial fluorescent light - an attribute unique to New Energy’s SolarWindow™.
Recently, scientists developing SolarWindow™ have achieved a major research goal, resulting in the fabrication of New Energy’s first ever 1’X1’ prototype – a necessary step for commercial scalability.
The patent filings announced today assist the Company with advancing SolarWindow™ into product development and eventual commercialization. The next phase of product development includes boosting power conversion efficiency, power production, voltage and current. Engineering efforts include the development of technologies that allow for large scale application of New Energy’s electricity-generating coatings onto glass surfaces, using standard industrial manufacturing techniques.
There are nearly 85 million commercial buildings and single detached homes in America, according to the Energy Information Administration. New Energy’s SolarWindow™ technology is under development for commercial application in such buildings.
