Overview of Solar-energy glass market

Although the solar-energy application for flat glass is still relatively small in volume (5% of flat glass volume) compared to the markets of flat glass for buildings and for automotive and transports, it is expected to grow steadily in the years to come. According to some projections, solar-energy glass could represent over 10% of flat glass volume in a couple of years. Fully dedicated patterned and float glass installation now produce glass for solar-energy applications 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, without interruption.

Over the past few years, solar energy has become increasingly popular in view of the rising cost of energy in Europe. This is likely to continue as EU institutions committed to further developing solar power in which ever form (solar thermal power, Photovoltaic, concentrating solar power) as a means to tackle climate change and reach the targets of 20% of renewable energy by 2020. The flat glass market for solar applications is expected to increase proportionnally to the growth of the solar markets.

A few figures on photovoltaic

The European market for Photovoltaic grew at a rate of about 15% in 2009. It is expected to carry on growing by about 30% in 2010 and around 20% in the year after.
The photovoltaic technology could provide up to 12% of the electricity produced in the EU in 2020.
The EU market represents 78% of the world market for photovoltaic modules.
Germany is the largest market in Europe and in the world, followed by Italy who appears as one of the most promising market.

Solar energy-glass: Europe leads the worldwide race for innovation

Unlike other flat glass markets like building, automotive and transport glass, the market for solar-energy is truly worldwide. This is explained by the fact that all developed countries and fast developing countries such as China are developing a solar-energy module industry. Companies assembling solar modules tend to get glass from their local markets. However these modules can travel easily across the globe before reaching the installer, unlike what happens in the building and automotive glass sectors where delivery distances are shorter, due to travel costs and on-time delivery requests.

In such a worldwide market, Europe is leading in the innovation race for the development of glass technologies especially designed to increase properties of solar-energy modules. This is particularly true of anti-reflective coatings, which is a technology developed in Europe. It is Glass for Europe's belief that public grants and fiscal incentives to solar-energy should in fact be concentrated on these products using this 'best available technology'.

The European glass industry continues to heavily invest in Research and Development to increase the properties of its products. Notably, to further develop solar mirrors for use in the promising technology of mirror-based Concentrating Solar Power Systems, and to improve the properties of the transparent conducting oxide coatings to increase conversion efficiencies in thin film technologies.

Most stringent specifications for solar energy-glass

Due to the very high technological content of solar-energy modules, reliability is key for manufacturers. Specific glass products for these applications must therefore be able to respect very stringent customer specifications. The solar energy industry is very demanding in that respect and thanks to the inherent durability and reliability of glass products and its experience of the automotive industry, glass manufacturers can confidently develop high quality products.

In order to bring greater clarity in the markets, glass manufacturers are ready to work at the development of appropriate standards, both European and International, on glass products for use in solar-energy applications.

European glass manufacturers are key actors of the solar-energy industry and work hard for the deployment of technologies. High transmission, recyclability, durability, reliability, high degree and accuracy in light reflection: these are only a few of the glass contributions to solar-energy.