Under the guidance of the global "dual carbon" goals, photovoltaic energy, as an important pillar of renewable energy, is ushering in a golden period of large-scale expansion. As a core packaging material for photovoltaic modules, photovoltaic glass directly determines the power generation efficiency, service life and reliability of the modules, and is an indispensable key link in the photovoltaic industry chain. With its core advantages of high light transmittance, high strength and strong weather resistance, it provides comprehensive protection for photovoltaic cells, and maximizes the light capture efficiency, becoming an important support for reducing costs and increasing efficiency in the photovoltaic industry.
The core competitiveness of photovoltaic glass stems from its extreme optical performance and stable physical properties, which are closely related to its rigorous production process. During the production process, high-purity quartz sand, soda ash and other raw materials need to be selected, and the content of impurities such as iron and titanium must be strictly controlled (iron content is usually less than 0.015%). After high-temperature melting, a highly transparent glass liquid is formed. According to different application scenarios, photovoltaic embossed glass (used for the front and back sheets of modules) is produced through calendering forming process, or photovoltaic ultra-white float glass (used for high-end modules or BIPV scenarios) is produced through float process. Among them, the special matte texture on the surface of photovoltaic embossed glass is the key, which can effectively reduce the reflection loss of sunlight, increase the refraction and scattering of light inside the glass, so that the visible light transmittance can reach more than 91.5%, and the transmittance of high-end coated products even exceeds 94%, directly increasing the power generation efficiency of the module by 2%-3%.
The application scenarios of photovoltaic glass are highly focused on photovoltaic module packaging, and at the same time extend to cross-border fields such as building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV). In conventional photovoltaic modules, photovoltaic glass is divided into front sheet and back sheet: the front sheet glass directly bears the harsh outdoor environment, and needs to have anti-impact, anti-ultraviolet, high and low temperature alternating resistance and other properties to protect the internal battery cells from erosion; the back sheet glass focuses on support and insulation. Some double-glass modules use two pieces of photovoltaic glass as front and back sheets, which greatly increases the service life of the module to more than 25 years. In the field of BIPV, photovoltaic glass can be combined with building curtain walls, daylighting roofs, sunshades, etc., to realize the dual functions of "power generation + building materials". It not only meets the needs of building decoration and energy saving, but also provides clean electricity for buildings, becoming an important part of modern green buildings.
At present, the photovoltaic glass industry is upgrading towards thinning, functionalization and greenization. To adapt to high-efficiency battery technologies such as TOPCon and HJT, the penetration rate of ultra-thin photovoltaic glass of 2.0mm and below continues to increase, effectively reducing the weight and cost of modules; the R&D and application of functional photovoltaic glass such as anti-reflection coating, self-cleaning and anti-PID (Potential Induced Degradation) further improve power generation efficiency and operation and maintenance convenience. At the same time, the industry is actively promoting low-carbon production, reducing the carbon footprint of products through technologies such as all-electric melting furnaces, waste heat recovery and photovoltaic roof power generation, to meet the requirements of international environmental policies such as the EU CBAM. In the future, with the continuous breakthrough of photovoltaic technology, photovoltaic glass will help accelerate the global energy transition with better performance and lower cost.
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