Dupont’s Tedlar Frontsheet As An Alternative To Glass

DuPont’s Tedlar Front Sheet Is Designed To Provide Lightweight Photovoltaic Modules By Replacing Traditional Glass

Glass reliability at low weight: Tedlar frontsheet is a lightweight, durable, and weather-resistant material that can be used to replace front glass. (Source: DuPont)

DuPont's Tedlar transparent front panel film addesses the challenge of reducing the weight of photovoltaic modules while maintaining essential properties like UV resistance, durability and high light resistance
The innovative film from DuPont promises solution for various applications including commercial buildings, parking sheds, vehicle mounted PV systems
DuPont also showcased BIPV systems with Tedlar front sheet during SNEC 2023 trade show.

DuPont during SNEC 2023 unveiled its Tedlar frontsheet materials designed for lightweight PV modules (see DuPont launches Tedlar front sheet films). The Tedlar frontsheet has been developed to replace front glass, without compromising on mechanical stability and weatherability.

The Tedlar frontsheet meets all the requirements of a frontsheet, including high light transmittance, lasting UV protection, mechanical toughness, abrasion resistance, chemical resistance, and good adhesion to the encapsulant. Essentially, the product fulfils all the prerequisites of a conventional frontsheet but with the added advantage of being lightweight.

The weight of PV modules has been a persistent obstacle in specific applications, particularly in commercial buildings and auxiliary structures, which lack additional structural capacity. Furthermore, vehicle efficiency is intrinsically linked to weight, so lightweight modules like those incorporating Tedlar can mitigate this issue.

By minimizing weight, these modules enable PV components to be installed or retrofitted in a more cost-effective manner in various applications such as parking roofs, BIPV, and Vehicle Integrated PV (VIPV). The company has built a BIPV system integrated with the Tedlar frontsheet and metal laminated roofing system, which was showcased at recent trade fairs. DuPont also introduced battery pack thermal management solutions in energy storage applications.

The text is an excerpt from TaiyangNews New Solar Products Overview H1/2023, which can be downloaded for free here.

Vehicle Integrated PV (VIPV)