The four-page booklet describes common coating techniques for anti-reflective solar glasses and details laboratory testing that compares the durability of Solarphire AR glass to competing products.
Unlike most anti-reflective glasses, which feature soft coatings applied by sol-gel, spray, drip, flow or other wet-deposition techniques, Solarphire AR glass is manufactured with a hard coat developed by PPG. Because of this permanent, protective overcoat, Solarphire AR glass maintains original levels of transmittance after prolonged exposure to humidity-freeze cycling, salt water spray, salt-fog and sulfuric acid, as prescribed by industry-standard testing.
The white paper also highlights results of Taber Abrasion Testing, which measures the hardness of a coating by scratching it with a rotating abrasion wheel.
Although it is not commonly prescribed for solar glass products, Taber Abrasion Testing confirms that the coating for Solarphire AR glass will maintain original performance levels even after it is exposed to wear mechanisms that are significantly more damaging than any it would encounter in actual service.
In addition to unsurpassed durability, the white paper identifies several other performance advantages afforded by the permanent, protective overcoat on Solarphire AR glass, such as:
- Increased transmittance in the spectral range of common photovoltaic (PV) materials, such as silicon and cadmium telluride;
- Reduced heat buildup in solar modules caused by the reflection of infrared (IR) energy;
- The ability to run coated-side-down on processing conveyors, which eliminates the need for special glass-handling equipment by downstream manufacturers; and
- The availability of anti-reflective coating on both sides of the Solarphire glass substrate to further increase transmittance and the overall efficiency of solar modules.
To download a copy of the white paper, visit www.ppgsolarphire.com, or to request a hard copy, call 888-PPG-SUN1 (774-7861).
