Borosil Renewables Launches Innovative Solar Glass Options

Q2: Borosil Renewables’ Exports Accounted For 13% Of Turnover  

Borosil Renewables, India’s sole solar glass manufacturer that has been battling the threat of dumping by Chinese manufacturers ever since the government dropped the anti-dumping duty on imports, burnished its credentials as an innovative manufacturer, with a slew of launches at REI 2023.

Among the key launches introduced by the firm were:

1. High Transmission Antireflative Coated (HTAR) coated solar glass: Borosil Renewables has recently developed a high transmission AR coated solar glass. Keeping the important aspect of the durability of coating unchanged, this newly developed technology enhances light transmission by about 0.4%-0.5% as compared to that from solar glass coated using the existing AR coating technology. The output of the solar module is expected to increase by a similar amount based on the results of the trial conducted so far. 
2. Grid printed backglass in 2 mm thickness for bifacial glass-glass solar modules: Borosil Renewables launched the grid printed back glass in 2 mm thickness for glass-glass bifacial solar modules. This grid printing is designed to reflect/ redirect the light back to the solar cells which otherwise would escape and thus enhances the power output of high-performance solar modules.
3. Anti-glare glass: The adoption of solar energy by airports is restricted due to the glare caused by the solar modules, which could impact the vision of the pilots and traffic controllers and cause a safety concern. Borosil Renewables developed “Selene” solar glass which is able to reduce glare and bring the reflectance value below the benchmark value of 20,000 cd/ m2.  With this product, the airports can install solar modules and use renewable energy more effectively ensuring aviation safety, besides greener airports with more solar energy of course.
4. Small-sized glass for solar roof tiles: The trend of direct installation of small-sized solar tiles on the roof replacing the traditional roof tiles is picking up across the world. Processing and handling this type of glass in such a small size has been a challenge. Borosil Renewables has launched a glass in a small size that could be used for solar modules.
5. Glass for High-performance greenhouses in various hazes: Borosil Renewables developed various textures that result in different hazes (high, medium, low, zero, etc.). The fruits and vegetables that are grown inside these greenhouses need a specific amount of light and other atmospheric conditions that are achieved by the use of such kind of glass and other technologies being used by the greenhouse developers.

The firm’s many launches indicate the high investments and efforts it has made to stay at the top of the changing solar market, and seek long term sustainability for itself. With capacity ramp ups in the pipeline, the firm is set to be a key player in India’s solar manufacturing ecosystem for the times to come, even as some additional domestic manufacturers finally enter the market as well.