f | solar: Premiere at the PVSEC, Valencia
New highly transparent solar glass boosts the solar yield
Industrial solar glass production from one source / Unsurpassed values for energy transmission
At the 25th PVSEC – European Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition (Valencia, Spain), from 6th to 10th September 2010, f | solar presented their new highly transparent, low-iron float glass with a strong quartz antireflective coating for photovoltaic and solar thermal applications (Booth L3/H4/C12). „f | solarfloat” achieves unsurpassed values for energy input into the solar module and thereby increases the “solar yield”.
The f | glass GmbH is a joint venture between the Dutch Scheuten Group and the Interpane Glas Industrie AG. Located in Osterweddingen near Magdeburg, 270 employees are producing up to 700 tons of highly transparent, low-iron float glass a day. The company is focussing on the production of a new high end solar glass and its subsequent processing into the finished product. The float glass plant is currently the only one of its kind worldwide: The special design of the melting tank and the materials used enable the fully continuous production of extremely low-iron solar float glass. The plant has been tailored to the requirements of the solar industry: Cutting into any format, edge treatment, glass coating by means of magnetron sputtering, tempering as well as customized logistics – everything is carried out here.
Advantages for energy transmission and logistics
“f | solarfloat HT” is the name of the best selling product. The focus is placed on this industrially manufactured, particularly low-iron solar glass, combined with an effective and durable mono broadband antireflective coating. In one of the largest high capacity glass coating plants, the solar glass is refined under vacuum conditions. It achieves unsurpassed values for energy input into the solar module and thereby increases the “solar yield”. The application of the antireflective coating on just one side of the glass surface increases the share of sunlight used for power generation by more than 2.5 percent. The solar cells catch considerably more solar energy, even in the case of an unfavourable, flat angle of incidence. The cells start up earlier, work longer, and deliver more power to the power inverter, which in turn can operate more efficiently. Moreover, the antireflective coating is made of extremely resistant quartz glass – this protects from harmful environmental influences. The narrow manufacturing tolerances as well as the comparatively flawless surface of the float and solar float glass guarantee a reproducible high edge quality as well as superior glass strength. The characteristic bending tensile strength of the 3.2 mm thin tempered glass by f | solar surpasses the standard requirements for conventional 4.0 mm thick tempered glass by far. Logistical advantages due to reduced glass thickness: More than 4,000 kg cargo capacity per truckload, reduced costs for transportation and packaging, as well as lowered internal storage costs. In addition, transmission is increased even further.
In addition to the high-end product, the company presented highly energy efficient produced float glass, which is primarily used as a back glass for thin-film photovoltaics (f | ecofloat) and an exceptionally low iron, highly transmissive solar glass, used as cover glass for solar thermal collectors.
Further information is available online at www.fsolar.de.
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photo: f | glass GmbH |
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High-quality functional coatings are applied under vacuum in one of the world’s largest high capacity solar glass coating systems. photo: f | glass GmbH |
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The fully continuous production process guarantees consistently high quality - all from a single source. photo: f | glass GmbH |
For further information, please contact
pr nord. neue kommunikation.
Marc Everling
phone: +49 (0) 531 / 70101-0 / fax: -51
E-Mail: m.everling@pr-nord.de
f | solar GmbH
Thomas Keyser
phone: +49 (0) 39205 450402 / fax: -409
E-Mail: t.keyser@fsolar.de