In the fight against climate change, some innovators are gunning for moon shot ideas, such as  generating energy through nuclear fusion or scrubbing carbon emissions from the atmosphere. John Paul Morgan, however, has set his sights on something more utilitarian: the humble window blind. It may look like run-of-the-mill office decor, but Morgan, founder and president of Toronto-based Morgan Solar, sees it as an effective tool to tackle the surprisingly high carbon footprint of many buildings.

Although the amount of light hitting a single pane of glass may not amount to much, Morgan points out that the office towers that populate most Canadian cities have hundreds, even thousands, of windows. And those towers are heavy carbon emitters.

Highrise buildings are among the worst offenders — most emit significantly more greenhouse gases than mid- and lowrise structures, mainly due to their complex heating and cooling systems. (Glass windows are also notorious for their heat loss.) If Canada is going to meet its emissions reduction target of 40 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030 — and net-zero emissions by 2050 — building managers will need to significantly cut their properties’ fossil-fuel consumption.

One of Morgan Solar’s solutions is a smart blind system equipped with sensors that help regulate a building’s thermal load, the amount of energy required to maintain a desired temperature.  When the interior needs warming and illumination, Morgan Solar’s blinds let more sunlight in, and less when rooms are overheating. And when the shades are closed, built-in solar cells harness the sun’s rays and convert them into electricity that can be used to power lights, chargers and other items.

“It may be just 100 watts here and there, but it adds up,” says Morgan, whose customers include the Canadian government and U.S. technology company Cisco Systems Inc. The electricity generated can be about the same as rooftop solar panels, while also cutting heating and cooling costs, he adds.

“There’s a lot a window can do,” he says. “And if Canada wants to be net zero by 2050, we don’t really have time to wait.”