| SILICONES FOR SOLAR |
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SILICONE FORMS |
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WHY SILICONES SHINE
Because they can withstand the sun’s unrelenting rays year after year, silicones are ideal for solar panel and photovoltaic (PV) applications. While solar cells themselves are made of silicon, silicones are used during module assembly and installation as encapsulants, coatings, potting agents, adhesives and sealants.
The silicone advantage:
 Silicones are renowned for their UV stability and moisture resistance
Silicones are durable and solar radiation resistant
Silicones have excellent electrical insulating properties – excellent dielectric strength and high volume resistivity
Silicones have low ionic impurities, low moisture absorption and a low dielectric constant
Silicone encapsulants perform over a wide operating temperature range – from -40 to 150°C (-40 to 302°F)
Silicones are optically transparent over a wide spectrum
Silicones offer excellent adhesion to glass and photovoltaic cell substrates
Optical, mechanical and thermal properties can be varied to meet the requirements of specific photovoltaic applications
THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME
Silicones are extremely versatile, with unique flow properties that can increase productivity and reduce photovoltaic module manufacturing costs. They’re also proven to perform under harsh conditions – such as direct sunlight.
Silicones for solar applications come in many forms, including optically clear resins for abrasion-resistant conformal coatings; elastomers and gels for protecting, potting and encapsulating; and sealants and adhesives for assembly. Silicone elastomers and gels can be formulated with low modulus, giving them excellent stress relief capabilities, while silicone resins can be formulated with high modulus to provide durable protection and abrasion resistance.
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 | PLANTING THE SEEDS OF THE FUTURE
Dow Corning’s Solar Energy Exploration and Development (SEED) research
center in Belgium is dedicated to the development and discovery of new
silicon-based materials. For solar PV, our research focuses on improving the
performance, durability and efficiency of renewable energy technologies – as
well as reducing their levelized cost of energy (LCoE).
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HARNESSING THE POWER OF THE SUN
Learn more about how the fundamental properties of silicon and silicone
can reduce cost of ownership for the end solar user. Plus, watch our video to
find out how we’re helping to bring solar energy to everyone, everywhere. |
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SOLAR ENERGY 101
Enough energy comes from the sun in one hour to power the entire global
population for a year. Get back to basics and discover how solar cells convert
this sunlight into truly renewable energy.
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SILICONES FOR SOLAR PV
SYSTEMS
Explore our range of silicone materials designed to improve the
cost-efficiency, durability and performance of solar power modules and
photovoltaic devices.
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SOLAR SOLUTIONS APPLICATION
CENTERS
Dow Corning has established state-of-the-art PV module and solar cell
application centers around the world to enable customer collaboration and fast
on-site testing of new applications. |
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BUILDING INTEGRATED PHOTOVOLTAIC
SOLUTIONS
Completed in 2009, the Kaohsiung World Games Main Stadium was the first
four-sided structurally glazed BIPV (Building Integrated Photovoltaic) roofing
project that Dow Corning contributed to.
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PURE AND SIMPLE
The majority of the world’s solar cells are crystalline based – starting
life from the raw material polycrystalline silicon. Learn about Dow Corning and
Hemlock Semiconductor’s commitment to delivering a product that’s up to
99.999999999% pure.
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