Application of Sodium Sulfate Na2SO4 in Photovoltaic Glass Industry

  In the context of carbon neutrality, many countries will develop renewable energy, including photovoltaic, as an important part of their carbon neutrality path. Photovoltaic glass is located in the middle reaches of the photovoltaic industry chain and is an important part of the photovoltaic industry.

1. Application of photovoltaic glass

  Photovoltaic glass is an encapsulation material used in photovoltaic modules, which can be categorized into ultra-white photovoltaic embossed glass (also known as ultra-white photovoltaic calendered glass), ultra-white processed float glass, TCO glass, and backsheet glass, among other things, which are used:

① Encapsulate and protect the core component of photovoltaic modules - crystalline silicon wafers.

② Maximize the transmission of sunlight to the battery silicon wafer, and convert light energy into electrical energy through the battery silicon wafer.

2. Market size of photovoltaic glass industry

  According to a research report by Global Industry Analysts, the global solar photovoltaic glass market will reach a market size of US$44.7 billion by 2027, with a compound annual growth rate of 28.8%.

  At present, China has become the world's largest producer and exporter of photovoltaic glass. In 2022, China's photovoltaic glass production accounted for about 90% of the global production, and the export volume of photovoltaic glass reached 2.253 million tons. From the perspective of the competitive landscape, China's photovoltaic glass industry is highly competitive, but the advantages of leading companies are more obvious. By the end of 2022, the top five domestic photovoltaic glass companies (Xinyi Glass, Fulait, Rainbow, Almaden, and Jinxin) had a combined market share of about 69%.

3. Application of sodium sulfate in photovoltaic glass industry

  Photovoltaic glass belongs to the type of sodium-lime-silicate material. In addition to quartz sand, dolomite, limestone, heavy alkali, alumina, and sodium antimonate, the main raw materials also require the addition of essential alum, which is mainly used as a clarifier to remove bubbles in the glass and improve the transmittance of the glass.

  At the same time, a small amount of sodium oxide is introduced into the sodium powder, which can form a fusible double salt with acidic oxides such as silica sand in calcination, playing a role in melting, making the glass easy to form. Different kinds of photovoltaic glass production processes are different, the raw materials used are not the same, and the quality control requirements for raw materials are different. In the production of photovoltaic glass, the focus of quality control of chemical raw materials such as sodium pyroantimonate and sodium sodium is to select suppliers.

  "There is light, there is electricity" photovoltaic glass will empower the dual-carbon goal from the source, promote the green building revolution, and provide more environmentally friendly, low-carbon, energy-saving and efficient electricity security for our lives.