Loughborough-based SmartGen Ltd has revealed that it was overwhelmed by the UK industry’s response to its SmartShield system.
SmartShield is a long lasting glass protection suitable for PV modules that is able to increase light transmission of solar panels, boosting the annual yield by up to 9.8 percent. SmartGen is keen to stress that SmartShield’s claimed efficiency gains are not just sales rhetoric, but hard figures based on a variety of test cases across the UK.
The SmartShield is a polymeric resin that works by increasing the light transmission of solar panels. Unlike traditional coatings, SmartShield becomes part of the glass – preventing any peels, cracks or flakes from appearing. The polymeric resin prevents contaminants from bonding onto the glass creating a ‘non stick’ surface and limits further damage and degradation of the glass caused by corrosion and chemical attack.
The treatment was recently applied to the solar array that was installed at the Olympics press centre. Figures just released from an independent test carried out by Romag on their own production plant in the North East of England, show a 9.8 percent increase in yield on a treated array, compared to an identical adjacent array without a treatment.
Managing Director, Julian Michalski, spoke of his delight at the UK’s reaction to SmartShield: “During the Solar Power UK exhibition, we were overwhelmed by the reaction to SmartShield. The interest and orders that we have had from the show have been fantastic.
“Everyone we talked to was positive about it, especially installers and distributors. The Solar Power UK exhibition 2012 was a great success for us, we have already booked for 2013!”