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Towards improved cover glasses for photovoltaic devices
Author(s) -
Allsopp Benjamin L.,
Orman Robin,
Johnson Simon R.,
Baistow Ian,
Sanderson Gavin,
Sundberg Peter,
Stålhandske Christina,
Grund Lina,
Andersson Anne,
Booth Jonathan,
Bingham Paul A.,
Karlsson Stefan
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
progress in photovoltaics: research and applications
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.286
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1099-159X
pISSN - 1062-7995
DOI - 10.1002/pip.3334
Subject(s) - photovoltaic system , cover (algebra) , materials science , electricity , process engineering , engineering physics , solar energy , photovoltaics , dopant , environmental science , optoelectronics , automotive engineering , electrical engineering , mechanical engineering , physics , engineering , doping
For the solar energy industry to increase its competitiveness, there is a global drive to lower the cost of solar‐generated electricity. Photovoltaic (PV) module assembly is material‐demanding, and the cover glass constitutes a significant proportion of the cost. Currently, 3‐mm‐thick glass is the predominant cover material for PV modules, accounting for 10%–25% of the total cost. Here, we review the state‐of‐the‐art of cover glasses for PV modules and present our recent results for improvement of the glass. These improvements were demonstrated in terms of mechanical, chemical and optical properties by optimizing the glass composition, including addition of novel dopants, to produce cover glasses that can provide (i) enhanced UV protection of polymeric PV module components, potentially increasing module service lifetimes; (ii) re‐emission of a proportion of the absorbed UV photon energy as visible photons capable of being absorbed by the solar cells, thereby increasing PV module efficiencies and (iii) successful laboratory‐scale demonstration of proof of concept, with increases of 1%–6% in I sc and 1%–8% in I pm . Improvements in both chemical and crack resistance of the cover glass were also achieved through modest chemical reformulation, highlighting what may be achievable within existing manufacturing technology constraints.