Solar applications

Coloured cover glasses for building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV)

AGC Interpane Architectural Glass now offers coloured magnetron coatings for cover glass on photovoltaic modules under its new ‘ipasolar’ brand, which also guarantee a high efficiency of 90 to 96 per cent (depending on the reflective colour) compared to an uncoated black module.

AGC Interpane Architectural Glass offers the new coatings in the initial standard colours of terracotta, green, blue, yellow, orange, red, bronze, gold, silver and ‘pearl mouse grey’, but also in custom colours on request – up to tape measure size, depending on the white glass substrates used by the module manufacturers.

The MorphoColor® colour coating is a photonic structure in which an interference layer is combined with a geometrically structured substrate in such a way that a particularly narrow-band reflection maximum is achieved. Since only small parts of the light spectrum are reflected, the remaining sunlight can pass through undisturbed. This reduces efficiency by less than 10 per cent. ipasolar glass can also be used for building-integrated coloured solar thermal collectors or PVT collectors.

Please feel free to contact: Steffen Kittler, T +49 5273 809544, Steffen.Kittler@agc.com

Building-integrated photovoltaics (GIPV)

SunEwat is a laminated glass with embedded monocrystalline or polycrystalline photovoltaic cells – a component that actively produces electricity and thus significantly improves the energy balance of buildings.

The cells are installed between two toughened panes of glass. Ideally, the outer pane is made of particularly clear white glass to maximize the electricity yield. The inner pane can be clear, extra-clear, tinted, screen-printed or otherwise designed glass. The modules are connected to a photovoltaic system via a cable box. The cell spacing can be varied, and therefore also the light transmission of the module. If SunEwat is used in unventilated sandwich parapet cladding, it retains its performance even at high temperatures.

To provide architects with all the options for building integration, the modules are manufactured according to individual dimensions – for:

• Facades
• Glass roofs
• Canopies
• Parapets
• Further applications

Learn more:

• Product page agc-yourglass.com

The iplus HT anti-reflective coating makes the glass surface non-reflective and increases the energy transmission by 5 percent compared to uncoated glass – thus maximizing the solar energy yield. Another advantage is the low angle dependency of the coating, which significantly increases transmission in the morning and evening hours and during the low-radiation winter months.