Featured in Women at work – 08-2019

Both sides of the debate

Choosing the best material to cover the backside of a module has long been a contentious issue, and the rise of bifacial technology has brought further complexity to the debate. With transparent backsheet materials quickly making their way to market, the Intersolar Europe edition of the Quality Roundtable event series sought to bring some clarity to the rear side of modules, and illuminate some of the issues that can occur in the field – both with glass-glass and glass-backsheet modules.

By

Mark Hutchins

20 Aug 2019

Participants in the panel discussion on glass-glass technology at pv magazine’s Quality Roundtable 2019. From left: Jörg Althaus of TÜV Rheinland, Lucie Garreau-Iles of DuPont, Andrea Viaro of JinkoSolar, PI Berlin’s Paul Grunow, Jonathan Govaerts of Imec and Longi Solar’s Winfried Wahl. | Image: pv magazine/Julia Malcher

It’s not a new debate by any means. Glass-glass panels have been around for decades, and while glass-backsheet has historically represented the larger share of modules on the market, the strength and durability of materials for this component has also caused plenty of problems for the industry over the years.The new wave of bifacial technology …

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