Proven Products Maximize Solar Power Efficiency
PPG is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of high-performance glass and coatings, two product categories vital to the production of solar energy. Before the solar industry even existed, PPG made a major contribution by pioneering the first low-iron glass, Waterwhite glass, in the 1930s.
Today, the legacy of innovation responsible for Waterwhite glass is the basis for PPG’s complete line of Starphire and Solarphire glasses. Starphire glass, which was introduced in 1989 as the first large-volume, commercially available, low-iron glass, features visible light transmittance of more than 91 percent in common three to four-millimeter thicknesses. It has been used on countless solar installations over the past two decades.
Beyond Starphire and Solarphire glass, PPG has a long and distinguished record of innovation and leadership in the development of stacked, thin-film coatings for glass. In 1983, PPG commercialized the world’s first temperable, MSVD, low-emissivity glass. Over the past quarter-century, the company has continued to advance thin-film coating technology, which culminated most recently in the debut of the industry’s first MSVD, triple-silver-coated, low-e glass for the architectural industry. This technical expertise is now being used to enhance the performance of coated glasses for the solar industry as well.
All PPG glass products, including Starphire and Solarphire glasses are Cradle to Cradle Certified CM. PPG is the first and only glass manufacturer in the U.S. to earn this distinction.