SAGE Electrochromics, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of

Saint-Gobain Compagnie de Saint-Gobain S.A. () is a French multinational corporation, founded in 1665 in Paris as the Manufacture royale de glaces de miroirs, and today headquartered on the outskirts of Paris, at La Défense and in Courbevoie. Originally a ...

, is a specialized window glass developer based in

Faribault, Minnesota Faribault ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Rice County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 24,453 at the 2020 census. Faribault is approximately south of Minneapolis–Saint Paul. Interstate 35 and Minnesota State Highwa ...

. The company develops electronically tintable

smart glass Smart glass, also known as switchable glass, dynamic glass, and smart-tinting glass, is a type of glass that can change its optical properties, becoming opaque or tinted, in response to electrical or thermal signals. This can be used to prevent s ...

(also called electrochromic glass, EC, or dynamic glass), for use in building windows, skylights and curtainwalls, that can be electronically tinted or cleared to optimize daylight and improve occupant comfort in buildings. The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE)

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL, Berkeley Lab) is a Federally funded research and development centers, federally funded research and development center in the Berkeley Hills, hills of Berkeley, California, United States. Established i ...

(LBNL), SAGE's SageGlass technology could potentially reduce the size of building heating and air conditioning equipment size by up to 25%, which may lead to construction cost savings."

History

The company was founded in 1989 by former CEO John Van Dine as Sun Active Glass Electrochromics, Inc. (SAGE) in a Valley Cottage, New York, laboratory.Window Technology, National Institute of Standards and Technology,Advanced Technology Program Status Report
/ref> In 1992 the company moved to Rutgers University’s Department of Ceramic Science and Engineering for R&D collaboration with Rutgers scientists. In 1994, the company changed its name to SAGE Electrochromics, Inc. It moved to

, in 1998, where over the next five years it refined the production process and testing of its first commercial product
SageGlass
in its pilot line facility. Samples of these insulating glass units (IGUs) were tested by the Department of Energy in the glass fabricating and OEM skylight industry. In 2005, SAGE moved to its new headquarters and manufacturing facility, and commercially launched its first-generation SageGlass product. In March 2010, SAGE announced more than $100 million in DOE funding and

Internal Revenue Service The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting Taxation in the United States, U.S. federal taxes and administerin ...

(IRS) tax credits to build a new facility in Faribault, Minnesota, to mass-produce SageGlass IGUs. The company ultimately decided to withdraw from the government funding program. Shortly thereafter, the company announced a new product that combines electrochromic technology with low U-factor triple-pane window glass construction. On November 10, 2010,

, a French glass and building materials company acquired 50 percent of the SAGE. The companies aimed to collaborate on electrochromic glass technology and research and development. Additionally, they initiated plans to build a large-scale electrochromic glass plant in Faribault,

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

. In May 2012 Saint-Gobain announced they had acquired 100% of SAGE. The company became a wholly owned subsidiary of Saint-Gobain at that time. In 2012, the company filed a

patent infringement A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A ...

suit against View; View counter-sued a few months later.

Funding

In July 2007, the company received $16 million in Series B financing fro
Good EnergiesApplied Ventures, LLC
an
Bekaert
In February 2009, SAGE received an additional $20 million round from the same investors. As of 2010, SAGE Electrochromics has received more than $50 million in venture capital funding and government grants.
SAGE Electrochromics Secures $16 Million in Series B Financing, SAGE Electrochromics press release, July 17, 2007 In March 2010, U.S. Energy Secretary

Steven Chu Steven ChuDepartment of Energy’s Loan Guarantee Program
established under the

Energy Policy Act of 2005 The Energy Policy Act of 2005 () is a federal law signed by President George W. Bush on August 8, 2005, at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The act, described by proponents as an attempt to combat growing energy problems ...

, to support new technologies that reduce or sequester greenhouse gases. Sant-Gobain's 50 percent acquisition of SAGE in November 2010 represented an additional $80 million investment. SAGE will manufacture the electrochromic glass for both companies at the new Faribault, Minnesota, plant. The facility will allow production of larger sheets of dynamic glass at high volumes, making it feasible for widespread building applications.

Technology

SageGlass is electronically tintable glass for use in buildings.Windows that can be Electronically Switched from Clear to Tinted, The Energy Blog, 2006-11-27
/ref> It incorporates

nanotechnology Nanotechnology is the manipulation of matter with at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometers (nm). At this scale, commonly known as the nanoscale, surface area and quantum mechanical effects become important in describing propertie ...

consisting of five layers of ceramic materials, which have a total thickness that is less than 1/50th that of a human hair. When voltage is applied ess than 5V DCit darkens as lithium ions and associated electrons transfer from the counter electrode to an electrochromic electrode layer (see Figure 1). Reversing the voltage polarity causes the ions and associated electrons to return to their original layer, the counter electrode, and the glass clears. This solid state electrochromic reaction is controlled through a low voltage DC power supply. When the SageGlass coating darkens, the sun’s light and heat are absorbed and subsequently reradiated from the glass surface to the exterior. Sagetechnology

Electrochromic IGUs offer various benefits: they help mitigate solar heat gain, diminish glare, reduce fading of materials, and might reduce the need for window shades and awnings. Moreover, they allow building occupants to maintain a view of the outdoors.Glass a breakthrough in energy-saving and “green” building, IP Glass Technology, 2007-12
/ref>

References

External links

SageGlass
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sage Electrochromics Building materials companies of the United States Manufacturing companies established in 1989 Manufacturing companies based in Minnesota Saint-Gobain American subsidiaries of foreign companies Faribault, Minnesota 2012 mergers and acquisitions

History

Funding

Technology

See also

References

External links