Glass sealing - Protection of the glass surface
Reduction of costs - Environmental sustainability - Enhancement in value
Glass sealing protects the glass surface from aggressive environmental pollution, extends the cleaning periods and increases the yields of solar panels.
The glass surfaces
Considered microscopically glass looks like mountains. In the course of time the „glass valleys"are filled with detergence, fats, dust and other environmental pollution. That's why the glass surface becomes blunt after some years and it is more and more difficult to clean. If these "glass valleys" are filled with polymer products, known as nano-coating for example the glass of cars, the glass surface becomes even and hydrophobic. After a couple of weeks this effects disappear because the substances are not connected chemically. The effectiveness of silicium atoms is different; the coating combines chemically with the glass surface, because silicium is part of the glass substance. The heights and depth of glass are not changed but the glass surface becomes hydrophobic and stain-resistant. This is very important for solar panels because the sunlight cannot be filtered by filling substances.
Glass sealing for buildings
It's an expensive and a great expenditure of time to clean conservatories, roof glazing, glass facades and indoor swimming pools. At first there are high charges for cleaning materials and the personal costs. Secondly the abrasive cleaning methods with aggressive detergence, brushes etc. scratch and damage the glass surface. Salt, chlorines and demineralised water cause glass corrosion; the glass appears „blind".
Reduction of cleaning costs - enhancement in value of the building
Glass sealing protects the glass surface from aggressive influences. The glass can be cleaned easily without using brushes or aggressive detergence to eliminate bird shit, gluey pollen, fatty dust or other gluey substances. Glass sealing implies to halve the cleaning periods, to keep the glass surface brilliant and to increase the value of the building for long terms. Further more it contributes to a preventive environmental protection. That's why it is important for the Leeds Certification of a new building, which guarantees the owner a special value of his property.
Glass sealing of photovoltaic modules / solar panels
Everybody knows that the yield of solar panels / photovoltaic modules depend on the sunlight. Pollution minimize the yields continuously at an average of 5 % all 2-3 years.
Gluey pollen, environmental pollution, bird shit or aggressive substances reduce the energy which could be produced by cleaned modules. Signasol protects the solar panels / modules and guarantees increasing yields.
Self-cleaning photovoltaic modules / solar panels - increasing yields
Based on pollution many companies offer cleaning services for solar panels especially on the roof. According to the slop of roof and typ of solar panel it is impossible to walk on them. Therefore they cannot be cleaned without telescopic cleaning agents. These damageable and expensive instruments clean the modules with demineralised water in order to protect the machines. The use of demineralised water leaves no residues; the panels seem to be very clean. The problem is, that demineralised water generates glass corrosion, which damages the glass surface and therefore the whole solar equipment. This causes a significant speed-up of pollution.
The most expensive factors for the cleaning of solar panels are the costs for a cherry picker and the driving costs. Based on two cleaning intervals each year, the costs for glass sealing will be amortized (charged off ) after two years.
Danger of glass corrosion
Glass corrosion arises when demineralised water dissolves the Ionics of the glass surface. That's a physical process.
The float-glass technology is of cheaper quality than for example wine glasses. That's why glass corrosion on solar panels arises faster than this is known of wine glasses which were frequently clean in dishwashing machines.
