As PPG Industries
celebrates its 125th anniversary, the company continues to expand its
product line by introducing Solarban 70XL and Solarban 60 solar
control, tinted glass with low-emissivity coatings on the second
surface.
The new product launch marks the latest development from a company that
has been on the forefront of glass innovation since its founding as the
Pittsburgh Plate Glass Co. in 1883.
All PPG tints from the Oceans of Color collection, including Atlantica,
Azuria, Caribia and Solexia glasses, as well as Solargray and
Solarbronze tinted glasses, are now offered with Solarban 70XL or
Solarban 60 solar control, low-E coating on the second surface of the
glass. In addition to providing improved environmental performance, the
availability of second-surface coated tints expands aesthetic options
for architects and building owners. The move also allows customers of
PPG high-performance glass and members of the PPG Certified Fabricator
network, to offer architects and building owners more products with
superior energy performance.
Over the 125 years, PPG has carved a legacy of innovation resulting in
the development of many products and technologies that remain industry
standards, such as Solex (now Solexia) glass, the first heat-absorbing,
energy-efficient glass was introduced in 1934 to a variety of
heat-reflective, spectrally-selective, clear and coated glass products.
In 1963 the company became the first U.S. manufacturer to use the float
glass process.
Today, PPG is a recognized leader in green building products, not just
through the development of environmentally progressive architectural
glass products, but also through its continued efforts to refine and
enhance glass performance for solar power applications such as
photovoltaic glass and large, solar-collecting mirrors.
Vicki Holt, PPG senior vice president, glass and fibre glass, says the
company’s long history in the glass industry and its continuing
commitment to research and development enables it to remain on the
cutting edge of technological development.
“Many people think of glass as a commodity product, but when you
consider its relative abundance, functionality and high-performance
coating technologies, you begin to understand its value as a highly
functional, building material,” Holt says. “We’re already using
high-performance glass to reduce the amount of fossil fuels our
buildings consume, but we’re also learning how to produce glass with
other critical properties and characteristics that will enable it to
conduct a current, or collect and amplify energy from sources such as
the sun. At PPG, we’re devoted to ensuring that glass achieves its
full potential as a building product, as an energy provider and as an
integral part of our future.”
In an independent study, buildings glazed with Solarban 70XL and
Solarban 60 glasses were shown to have significantly lower energy
consumption, greenhouse gas emissions and HVAC requirements than those
glazed with double lite tinted glass and other less advanced glazings.
|
