Photovoltaic glass is a special backsheet for solar photovoltaic cells. It is a part of the solar cell module and is mainly used to protect the solar cells.
At present, there are mainly two types of photovoltaic glass on the market: single-sided photovoltaic glass and double-sided photovoltaic glass.
1. Single-sided photovoltaic glass
Single-sided treated photovoltaic glass only undergoes reflective coating treatment on one side. The commonly used treatment method is AR treatment, which reflects light of different wavelengths to accurately refract it and convert it into electrical energy in the photovoltaic cell.
A. Structure: Only the front of the component uses photovoltaic glass, while the back typically adopts A polymer backsheet (such as TPT, TPE).
B. Features:
A. It has a relatively low cost and light weight, and is currently the mainstream structure.
c. Applicable to conventional single-glass components.
For single-sided treated photovoltaic glass, only one side can be used to absorb light energy, which means that more than half of the light cannot be absorbed by the solar cell. This problem can be solved by using reflective coating, but there is still some waste.
2. Double-sided photovoltaic Glass
Double-sided photovoltaic glass undergoes reflective coating treatment on both sides, that is, reflective films are applied to both sides. This enables sunlight to enter the solar cells from two directions and be converted into more electrical energy in the photovoltaic cells.
A. Structure: Both the front and back sides are made of photovoltaic glass, with solar cells encapsulated in the middle.
B. Features:
a. Double-sided power generation: The back side can utilize the reflected light from the ground, increasing power generation by 5% to 30%.
b. It has stronger weather resistance, excellent anti-PID performance, and a lifespan of over 30 years.
c. It is relatively heavy and requires a more stable support system.
C. Application: Bifacial PERC and N-type cell (TOPCon, HJT) modules.
Compared with single-sided photovoltaic glass, the light-absorbing area of double-sided photovoltaic glass has doubled, allowing sunlight to be absorbed more fully and thereby enhancing the power generation efficiency. Therefore, in some high-end markets, double-sided photovoltaic glass is more popular.
Overall, double-sided photovoltaic glass has more advantages than single-sided photovoltaic glass, enabling solar cells to collect and convert solar light more effectively and improving power generation efficiency.
