What happens if a solar glass substrate is defective?

As in all other glass manufacturing processes, solar glass substrates are subject to defects during produc-tion. Depending on the defect type and intensity, the impact of these defects can range from a reduced transmission to a considerable negative influence on the mechanical glass characteristics.

What is a solar glass substrate?

Manufacturers of crystalline silicon solar modules apply glass substrates on the front side of the solar modules. This front glass will either be a patterned glass or a glass with anti-reflective coating (AR). As in all other glass manufacturing processes, solar glass substrates are subject to defects during produc-tion.

Why is patterned glass used in crystalline solar modules?

In the production of crystalline solar modules pat-terned glass substrates are used in lieu of bare glass. Patterned glass increases the amount of incoming sunlight. Common optical inspection systems for quality assurance and process control are mostly designed for unstructured glass.

What is patterned glass anti-reflective coating?

With inspection system for patterned glass Anti-reflective coatings (AR coatings) are applied to the solar glass substrates to increase the amount of incoming sunlight. If the AR coating is missing or too thin in certain panel areas, the reflection of the sun light results in a reduced cell eficiency. Dr.

Why are micro-cracks a major cause of solar glass breakage?

Micro-cracks and chips of the solar glass panels are a major cause of glass breakage and their detection is important for assuring highest quality standards. Apart from the cost for material loss, such defects can cause severe secondary costs, such as down time of production lines.

Does solarinspect detect glass defects?

SolarInspect provides this capability parallel to the glass defect detection. Furthermore, SolarInspect can detect glass defects at the edges of the substrate, which helps to avoid unexpected glass breakage in subsequent production and in the final product.