Patagonia Installs Solar Windows Developed by Santa Barbara Company

NEXT Energy Technologies got its start 10 years ago at a Santa Barbara office park, where a small team of UCSB grads toiling away on equipment bought at auction achieved something amazing. They developed a transparent photovoltaic (PV) coating that turns commercial windows into energy-producing surfaces, opening the door to a whole new world of solar power.

Last month, NEXT teamed up with Patagonia ― a globally recognized brand and leader in sustainable business practices ― to install 22 of their windows at the company’s headquarters in Ventura. It marked the first time NEXT’s technology is being demonstrated outside the lab and on a building. 

NEXT CEO Daniel Emmett called it “a huge milestone for us. … We’re grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with Patagonia to demonstrate our technology in action and share the numerous benefits to building owners, developers, and occupants.” Those benefits, he said, include “reduced operating expenses, increased building value, improved building resilience, relieved pressure and reliance on the grid, and reduced carbon footprint.”