Assessing the impact of micro-cracks in solar glass

A Turkish research team has analyzed how big changes in temperature can affect absorbance, light transmittance and reflectivity in two types of solar glass. The scientists demonstrated lower efficiency in solar cells and the glass itself were attributable to a large number of micro-cracks and deformations on the glass surface.

The researchers stress-tested two types of glass at different temperatures.

Image: Firat University

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From pv magazine International

Researchers at Turkey’s Firat University have tested how temperature changes affect the durability of solar glass under different operating conditions.

The scientists said they used two types of solar glass – referred to as A and B types – both 4mm thick and featuring light transmittance of 91.8% and 91%, respectively. Both materials were certified as the highest quality P1 grade. Light transmittance is a value indicating how much incoming light passes through the solar glass. That value, as well as that of the absorbance and reflectance properties of the two materials, were analyzed using a UV-3600 Plus Spectrometer.

The researchers said only the surface shape of the materials differed – all other properties, such as iron ratio, thickness and thickness tolerance, density, surface treatment, temper information and temperature resistance were similar.

The two types of glass were submerged in liquid nitrogen with the glass temperature reduced to -50 degrees Celsius and were then abruptly dipped in hot water of 50 degrees Celsius. “Temperature ranges are considered as cold after [minus] 50 degrees Celsius and hot from 20-70 degrees Celsius,” the scientists said.

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