Comparative durability study of commercial inner-pore antireflection coatings and alternative dense coatings

Nowadays, as a standard practice, the cover glasses for commercial photovoltaic (PV) modules are coated with antireflection coatings (ARCs). The most used ARC in the market consists of single-layer inner-pore silica (SiO2) where hollow silica beads are incorporated into the coating. To match the lifespan of installed modules, ARCs are expected to resist the harsh abrasion from brush cleaning and withstand severe environments. With the exponential growth of worldwide solar module deployment, understanding the outdoor performance and reliability of these ARCs is imperative. In this work, multiple typical AR coated commercial solar glass specimens from various manufacturers were characterized in terms of their optical property, abrasion resistance and outdoor reliability. Open-pore and dense silica samples were also fabricated and characterized for parallel comparison. It was found that dense ARCs present much better durability compared to inner-pore and open-pore ARCs, enabling a much longer lifespan although optical benefits were reduced. Furthermore, double-layer dense ARCs were investigated for boosting durability as well as maintaining a reasonable optical enhancement compared to single-layer ARC. These findings provide substantial guidance on the optimization of sustainable future commercial ARCs.

Automated summary

Nowadays, antireflection coatings (ARCs) are commonly used on commercial photovoltaic (PV) modules to enhance durability and resist harsh environments. This study characterized the optical properties, abrasion resistance, and outdoor reliability of different ARCs used in commercial solar glass. Dense ARCs were found to have better durability and longer lifespan compared to inner-pore and open-pore ARCs, although their optical benefits were reduced. Double-layer dense ARCs were also investigated to improve durability while maintaining reasonable optical enhancement.