May 18, 2011 – DSM Advanced Surfaces has signed license and supply agreements with Interfloat Corporation, a leading solar-glass producer. This opens the way for Interfloat to start producing cover glass for solar modules coated with KhepriCoat, a high-transmission/anti-reflective (AR) coating from DSM.
By using DSM’s technology on Interfloat’s solar cover
glass, module manufacturers in Europe may be able to improve the
efficiency of their solar panels. The KhepriCoat technology will be
taken into production at Interfloat’s solar glass plant in Tschernitz, Germany. The transfer of know-how and technology and the installation
of the coating equipment are expected to be completed by August, when
Interfloat will start production.
A KhepriCoat layer on solar cover glass reduces the amount of sunlight
reflected, thereby allowing more of it to pass through to the solar
cells. This significantly boosts the sunlight conversion rate of solar
modules: the typical daily improvement in module efficiency is in the
range of 34 per cent for photovoltaic (PV) modules and 68 per cent for solar thermal
modules. DSM licenses its KhepriCoat know-how and technology to
selected glass producers and glass processors, producing the coating
formulation in-house for direct supply to its licensees.
The PV industry is growing in double-digit figures. In fact, in 2010 the
size of the market more than doubled. One important driver of this
growth is the continued reduction in the cost of converting solar
energy. The use of AR coatings is contributing significantly to
improvements in module efficiency – which in turn helps make solar
energy more competitive compared with energy produced from fossil fuels.
With the AR coating KhepriCoat, DSM is answering this market need.
Oscar Goddijn, vice president of DSM Advanced Surfaces, said, “DSM Advanced
Surfaces develops coating solutions in order to help make life brighter
for everyone. By boosting the efficiency of solar modules, KhepriCoat
supports renewable energy production and underlines the importance of
sustainability in our emerging businesses. We’re proud to team up with
Interfloat and help the world to boost its ability to generate
electricity from sunlight, and make the way we live much more
sustainable.”
Ulrich Frei, managing director of Interfloat, said, “Performance, durability,
effectiveness and costs have always been our main concerns for
photovoltaic cover-glass products. And by choosing DSM Advanced Surfaces
as our partner for AR coatings we are taking another step along this
path. Its new coating technology, KhepriCoat, is the key to reducing
the reflection of the solar glass for PV modules from 4 per cent to less than 1 per cent
in the relevant wavelength range. This advantage will help module
manufacturers make solar electricity more competitive compared with
conventional sources.”
Print this page
Leave a Reply