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CLEARVUE TECHNOLOGIES LYD (CPV) - Solar Facades: Transforming Buildings into Power Plants

• Andrew Musgrave

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Imagine buildings that don't just consume energy but actually generate it. That's the revolutionary vision Martin Deil and his team at ClearVue Technologies are bringing to life through Building Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV). 

In this fascinating conversation, Martin explains how ClearVue transforms entire building facades into energy-generating assets while maintaining transparency and aesthetics. Unlike traditional solar panels mounted on rooftops, their technology integrates directly into windows, skylights, and vertical structures, helping buildings achieve net-zero energy targets without sacrificing design. 

The discussion takes an unexpected turn toward food security when we discuss how ClearVue's solar greenhouse technology has demonstrated remarkable results: 25% water savings, over 40% energy generation for the building, and crop yield improvements exceeding 100% for certain plants. 

Whether you're interested in clean energy innovations, sustainable agriculture, or smart investment opportunities in the green technology sector, this episode offers valuable insights into how Australian innovation is addressing global challenges. Subscribe now and discover more forward-thinking companies reshaping our sustainable future.

Andrew Musgrave Host

Welcome to another episode of ASX Briefs, and joining me today is Martin Deil, the Chief Executive Officer of ClearVue Technologies, an Australian pioneer in the building integrated photovoltaic sector. The company is reshaping the way we think about building services by integrating advanced solar technology into glass and facades. This unique approach allows buildings to generate renewable energy while maintaining transparency and aesthetics. Martin, thanks for joining me again and welcome to the ASX Briefs podcast. 

Martin Deil Guest

Andrew, thanks for having us. Great to be here. 

Andrew Musgrave Host

Now it's been quite a while since we last spoke, or about six months roughly. So, just for investors that may be unfamiliar with ClearVue, just want to provide a brief overview of the company. 

Martin Deil Guest

For sure. So ClearVue Technologies. We are an Australian headquartered company, and we operate in the global space of building integrated photovoltaics, also BIPV for short. So, unlike traditional solar energy solutions, which rely on solar modules or panels being mounted on rooftops, we essentially transform the entire external skin of a building into an energy generating facade. So, our technology is integrated into windows, skylights, walls and pretty much any vertical structures, of course also greenhouses, which I think we will cover a little bit later. And what essentially the technology does is to achieve net zero targets energy targets because we are generating a significant portion of the building needs, sometimes even producing more energy than is actually consumed. As a technology company I think this is very important we do not manufacture products ourselves. We license our solutions to license partners, and they handle the production, sales and also the installation in the field. So this model keeps us capital light & very agile and eliminates the need to ship heavy glass components around the world, because we have this network of license partners established pretty much on a global geographic scale. So, this is very advantageous to us. 

Andrew Musgrave Host

Okay, and if we look at some recent updates, the acquisition of ROOTS Sustainable Agriculture Technology adds a compelling layer to your ag tech offering. So how do you envision integrating ROOTS root zone optimization and irrigation by condensation technologies with ClearVue solar glazing technologies in the greenhouse market? 

Martin Deil Guest

So, we established quite early on that food security, and particularly supply resilience, is a critical global challenge and certainly is becoming more and more key priority for policymakers across major economies USA, Asia, but also and particularly the Middle East and we are extremely well positioned to contribute solutions to these challenges. So, our solar greenhouse research building at Murdoch University here in Perth has demonstrated over a number of growing seasons we're just about to start the fifth one that our technology saves over 25% of water, it generates in excess of 40% of the building's energy needs and also, very interestingly, it increases crop yields. So, across a number of different plants, such as spinach, beans and tomato, we've actually achieved yield improvements in excess of 100% for some of them. And this is really connected with the solar enhanced environment, essentially what we're doing with the light you know the crop obviously like and it leads to these increases compared to a conventional greenhouse. That interest, or that breakthrough, really has attracted strong interest from institutions, universities and also agricultural specialists. 

What we have done with the acquisition of the ROOTS technology is expanding our ag tech capabilities. 

That technology is really all about root zone optimization in terms of temperature optimization and also irrigation optimization, so it enhances yields yet further, but it also reduces water consumption and energy consumption, and these are particularly important aspects for regions like the Middle East where, as I said, it's all about resilience, you know, being able to locally grow their own food. 

So, this makes it a very compelling offering in these regions where the agricultural solutions have to be highly efficient because they don't have, you know, you kind of need to create the perfect environment for the crop to really perform well. So, with this acquisition, it's not only given us access, of course, to the IP which we have secured, but it's also come with a very experienced and well-connected team that will drive sales and product development. So, this team, of course, had done sales before with their technology and we will be able to build on that. And then, of course, in future we will have the benefit of integrating the two technologies, so our solar power generating greenhouse with the root zone technology, really giving a very, very interesting total and complete solution. 

Andrew Musgrave Host

Okay, and your recent project in the UAE with a major food and technology company seems to be an early example of this integration. So, can you share some initial feedback or outcomes from this installation, particularly in terms of energy efficiency and crop yield? 

Martin Deil Guest

Absolutely so. Perhaps just to explain what we've done is, since taking over the IP of ROOTS, we have established our own company towards the streamline operations. We have called it OptiCrop, and that is a dedicated company really focusing on this technology and making best use of our offering here. So with our OptiCrop team that consists of the ROOTS the former ROOTS specialists we delivered a first project in December and that was a matter of installing the optimization the roots zone optimization into a project with one of the largest food producers in the UAE, and it was exciting to see the project up and running Just after a few weeks after actually acquiring the ROOTS IP. It just reconfirms the strong demand of such advanced agricultural technology, especially in this region, and in terms of actual progress, updates and yields. We are looking forward to sharing more from that progress when they have passed their first grow seasons. 

Andrew Musgrave Host

And the company is also working with Qatar University and Murdoch University on solar integrated greenhouses for arid climates. So how critical are such collaborative research initiatives to your product innovation pipeline? 

Martin Deil Guest

We see technology companies like ours. The university collaboration is very important indeed, drives innovation, leads to new developments, improvements and also, particularly, it opens doors to large corporations and government entities that we, as a smaller player, would not have access to. So, it's been extremely valuable to us. We've had such collaborations for many, many years and again, this particular grant and the partnership with Qatar University and Murdoch University just emphasizes the major focus in the Middle East to drive the food security and the resilience there. So, it is really invaluable to be working with such respected partners and having access then to much larger potential clients and so on that we would otherwise have. 

Andrew Musgrave Host

Now ClearVue has recently secured key partnerships across the UAE, China and the UK, so can you walk us through the strategic significance of these regions, on how each partner (Dune Trading, MaxBlue Industrial Glass and My Glass Projects) aligns with your growth vision? 

Martin Deil Guest

Yeah, as I mentioned in the introduction, our business model is very much based on working with partners, our licensed partners. 

So, they are absolutely key and critical for our long-term growth vision, and this is to provide our technology across international markets and leveraging existing manufacturing and supply chain and distribution channels. 

So, this is very important for us and, as I think I may have explained last time when we spoke, Andrew, we can do this with causing minimal disruption to their current processes. So, it only takes an additional five minutes to make one of our windows with integrated solar power generating technology. So, this capital light business model, you know, eliminates the need for them, for our partners, to invest in costly manufacturing infrastructure and so on. So, of course, that helps for us to accelerate our path to profitability and approves returns for our shareholders, which is obviously the interest that they have, and this is the reason for signing up. So, you mentioned these licensees that we've recently been able to sign agreements with Dune Trading in the Middle East, MaxBlue in China one of the largest IGU manufacturers in China, actually and also MyGlass Project. So, again, these partnerships are absolutely critical to building the scalable distribution network that positions us for growth. 

Andrew Musgrave Host

And, with Dune Trading as a distribution partner in the UAE and potential expansions into India and Saudi Arabia in 2025, how do you see the Middle East and South Asian markets contributing to your revenue growth? 

Martin Deil Guest

Middle East and South Asian markets are playing an important part in our commercialization journey. 

Of course, we are not losing the focus, and we don't want to diminish the importance of larger markets, particularly the United States, of course, and Europe, but we are seeing significant long-term value opportunities for our shareholders in these regions. 

The pace of change and progress in the Middle East and South Asia is among the fastest in the world and, simply put, we see that this is where the action is and, with our partners, we are extremely well positioned in these regions and also, we are seeing increasing commitments to net zero targets and they like to adopt innovative technologies. So, they are not quite as conservative as maybe the more established region. Established, meaning having a long history of implementing or using certain technologies. So, they're very interested and very open to adopting innovative technologies and, again, this is just a fantastic opportunity for us to create a strong market going forward and just to give you a sense of scale, you mentioned India, of course. I read a recent article from McKinsey saying 70% of India has yet to be built. I think this just shows the enormous potential that we have in these markets and, again, working with our partners there, we are best suited to tap into these potentials. 

Andrew Musgrave Host

Okay, and in your Q2 FY25 update you mentioned that licensees are central to your business model. So, can you elaborate on how you manage the balance between direct sales efforts and licensee-driven sales in various markets? 

Martin Deil Guest

Yes. 

So, as I mentioned, our business model is ultimately to have licensed partners driving our sales, and that will certainly be the case in future, but we're also seeing that we need to support these licensees in converting the pipeline that we have. 

So, we are currently in a transition period where we have acquired a lot of direct interest, also by exhibiting at certain trade shows, for example, in the US. We are doing a lot of, you know, marketing. We have a lot of marketing activities. We are connected directly to building owners, developers, architects and so on. So, we have established quite a good pipeline of projects and so we will be working on converting this pipeline into projects and executing them and, in parallel, working with our licensees to enable them to, you know, deliver on their own pipeline of projects that they have. So, at the moment, our own pipeline is, you know, we're spending quite a bit of time to be able to convert these opportunities in a short period and then, clearly, over time, the licensee pipeline is going to be the main focus to deliver our growth. 

Andrew Musgrave Host

And just touching on the US, you've opened the San Jose showroom, so how is this helping to convert sales leads into revenue and what's the feedback been from potential US customers so far? 

Martin Deil Guest

Yeah. So having worked in the US myself for five years, I'm always amazed when I go back there about the sheer size and value of the US market, and it really never ceases to amaze me. 

So, from a strategic standpoint, the US market remains a key long-term opportunity for ClearVue. They also have the right kind of type of building stock in terms of the architecture, the design that is really perfectly suited, you know, to use the external surfaces to generate power. The customer feedback that we are getting is very much, overwhelmingly positive, very strong interest in our value proposition. There is some, you know, concern over a few of the uncertainties under the second Trump presidency but interestingly, we see no reduction in interest in solar. 

I think that some of the other technologies may be more, you know, maybe targeted a little bit by the administration, but solar has been, you know, it remains to be very strong and the demand and interest very robust. Since exhibiting at the shows I mentioned them in America we attended the show in Washington in June last year and then Greenbuild in November last year we have seen an elevated interest in our product and technology and we are very confident that we will be converting some of those opportunities into revenue shortly. Yeah, so we remain extremely positive as far as the US is concerned. 

Andrew Musgrave Host

And just touching on the financials, how well capitalized is the company to support ongoing R&D, expansion and commercialization efforts in 2025? 

Martin Deil Guest

Yeah, well, because of our business licensee model and supporting the growth, really without the need to invest in expensive production lines and logistics chains ourselves. This has pretty much protected the business, and thus our shareholders, from excessive capital dilution, you know, with needing a lot of capital to just get the product off the ground, and this has really allowed us to achieve already quite a global footprint, established global footprint for a relatively small technology company. Overall, of course, the board is very much aware of the need to manage the capital in a prudent manner that supports our plans, and we will be making further comments on the capital structure to the market as and when appropriate. 

Andrew Musgrave Host

Okay, Martin, and just to wrap things up, as we look towards the second half of FY25, what are some of the key milestones investors should watch out for? 

Martin Deil Guest

Andrew, as I mentioned, the primary focus is absolutely on the realization and converting some of the opportunities in our sales pipeline to purchase orders and revenue and also to continue increasing our license network. And then really over the next four to six months we believe that we will see the results of our team's hard work and we remain extremely optimistic about our pipeline, the licensee source opportunities and the markets in general. 

Andrew Musgrave Host

Okay, Martin. Well, it's been great to catch up again, get an update on all the company activities, and we look forward to further updates from ClearVue Technologies in the upcoming months. 

Martin Deil Guest

Andrew, you're very welcome. Thanks for having me. Thank you and see you again shortly. Bye-bye. 

Andrew Musgrave Host

That concludes this episode of ASX Briefs. Don't forget to subscribe and we look forward to catching you on our next episode.