SKC Invests 94 Billion KRW in US Smart Window Company 'Halio'

SKC headquarters building. Photo by SKC

SKC is expanding its 'energy-saving solutions' business by investing in Halio, a U.S. company specializing in 'smart window' technology.

On the 26th, SKC held a board meeting and approved a plan to invest up to $70 million (approximately 94.5 billion KRW) in Halio. Through this investment, SKC plans to grow smart window-based energy-saving solutions alongside biodegradable materials that contribute to reducing plastic waste as the two main pillars of its eco-friendly business.

Smart windows are eco-friendly solutions that use electricity to change the tint of building glass, adjusting the transmission of sunlight and solar heat. On hot days, the glass darkens to reduce sunlight entry, thereby improving cooling efficiency. Conversely, it becomes transparent to enhance heating efficiency. Although it looks similar to regular glass, the internal structure is based on technology similar to batteries, consisting of discoloration layers of anode and cathode and electrolytes.

Applying smart windows instead of regular glass in commercial buildings can reduce electricity consumption and carbon dioxide emissions by more than 40% each. Especially as countries like the U.S. and Europe increasingly regulate the energy efficiency of windows to reduce greenhouse gases or mandate 'zero-energy buildings,' the smart window market is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 44% until 2030.

SKC had previously selected smart windows as a promising eco-friendly business in 2017 and began developing film-based products that can be attached to glass starting the following year. After pilot production and completing certification evaluation by the Construction Environment Testing Institute in 2022, SKC has been exploring commercialization opportunities. Unlike glass-based products, film-based smart windows have the advantage of easy application to existing buildings, but glass-based products are relatively superior in discoloration speed and other aspects.

Halio possesses glass-based smart window products. With this investment, SKC will own both glass- and film-based smart window solutions. SKC plans to collaborate with Halio to further improve the performance of film-based smart window products and expand the market through global marketing targeting major customers integrating both glass- and film-based products. Based on SKC’s manufacturing expertise, Halio’s productivity will also be significantly enhanced.

An SKC representative said, “With this investment added to the technology we have secured so far, we can further advance the smart window business,” and added, “We will steadily expand our eco-friendly business by combining energy-saving solutions with biodegradable materials, for which a factory is being built in Vietnam.”