Project: Smart Glass Coatings for Innovative BiPV Solutions

Acronym	Cover Power (Reference Number: 30)
Duration	01/01/2018 - 31/12/2020
Project Topic	When analysing the reasons for the optical appearance of photovoltaics it becomes clear that its appearance is predominantly determined by the cover glass. In particular the reflections at the cover glass are substantially higher (more than twice) than these at the solar cell. From an optical design perspective this fact makes it difficult to tune the aesthetics of a photovoltaic module effectively only by changing the colour of the cells. More promising is the approach to tackle the surface which is mainly responsible for the design: The air-glass interface. Combining different kinds of coatings with various patterns of glass allow for new degrees of freedom in designing new BiPV solutions. In particular an issue could be tackled which turned out to be a road-block for some facade integrated BiPV projects - namely glare. The target of the project is to develop BiPV module prototypes based on glass-glass technology and c-Si solar cells (including bi-facial cells) and applying novel glass coatings for the outer side (environmental side) of the cover glasses. Those module prototypes should show the following properties: - Flexible and innovative design in terms of colour and surface texture - Minimum glare (less than 0.1% of specular reflection ) - At least 150 W/m² (STC) by exploiting back reflected light in bi-facial cells - Ageing and adhesion of surface coatings is carefully investigated and reliable for at least 30 years A further objective is the realization of a prototype BiPV installation for demonstrating the feasibility of the developed module prototypes, which will be in operation beyond the end of the project.
Website	visit project website
Network	SOLAR-ERA.NET Cofund
Call	SOLAR-ERA.NET Cofund

Project partner

Number	Name	Role	Country
1	Joanneum Research Materials	Coordinator	Austria
2	FDT GmbH	Partner	Austria
3	ehoch2 energy engineering e.U.	Partner	Austria
4	ertex solartechnik GmbH	Partner	Austria
5	OFI Österreichisches Forschungsinstitut für Chemie und Technik	Partner	Austria
6	CSEM SA	Partner	Switzerland