"PPG to develop Solarphire AR glass for the solar industry at Oregon plant"

Courtesy of PPG Industries

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On April 3rd, 2012, PPG Industries (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.) announced that its flat glass business plans to upgrade a coater at its glass plant in Salem, Oregon, to enable the manufacture of Solarphire AR anti-reflective and 2XAR two-sided, anti-reflective glasses.

The investment in the Salem factory, along with new production of ultra-high light-transmissive glass at PPG’s Fresno, Calif., factory, is part of PPG’s continuing commitment to serving the West Coast’s growing solar power industry, according to Richard A. Beuke, PPG vice president, flat glass.


Solarphire PV glass to be produced at Fresno

“With the new capabilities at Salem and Fresno, we can now produce Solarphire PV (photovoltaic) glass at Fresno then ship it to Salem for the addition of an anti-reflective coating,” Beuke said.

“That enables us not just to accelerate internal production, but to respond more quickly and with a broader range of products to solar industry customers throughout the western U.S. It also enables solar customers to further reduce the carbon footprint of solar cell manufacturing.”

The Salem plant will be expanded and workers added to accommodate increased production volume. The plant will manufacture Solarphire AR and Solarphire 2XARglasses.


Power output increases of up to seven watts reported

Solarphire AR glass due to the producer has PPG’s highly durable anti-reflective coating on one surface of a Solarphire PV glass substrate, and generates solar transmittance of 93.6% in a 3.2 millimeter thickness. Manufacturers of crystalline-silicon modules that replaced their units’ cover plates with Solarphire AR glass reported typical power output increases of up to seven watts.

Solarphire 2XAR glass features PPG’s anti-reflective coating on both sides of a Solarphire PV glass substrate. With solar transmittance of 96.3%, Solarphire 2XAR glass may help even more than Solarphire AR glass to make concentrating solar photovoltaic (CSP) modules more efficient.