Durability of Polymeric Glazing Materials for Solar Applications: Preprint

    Research output: Contribution to conferencePaper

    Abstract

    The economic viability of solar collector systems for domestic hot water (DHW) generation is strongly linked to the cost of such systems. Installation and hardware costs must be reduced by 50% to allow significant market penetration [1]. An attractive approach to cost reduction is to replace glass and metal parts with less expensive, lighter-weight polymeric components. Weight reduction decreasesthe cost of shipping, handling, and installation. The use of polymeric materials also allows the benefits and cost savings associated with well established manufacturing processes, along with savings associated with improved fastening, reduced part count, and overall assembly refinements. A key challenge is to maintain adequate system performance and assure requisite durability for extendedlifetimes. Results of preliminary and ongoing screening tests for a large number of candidate polymeric glazing materials are presented. Based on these results, two specific glazings are selected to demonstrate how a service lifetime methodology can be applied to accurately predict the optical performance of these materials during in-service use.
    Original languageAmerican English
    Number of pages18
    StatePublished - 2003
    EventFirst European Weathering Symposium - Prague, Czech Republic
    Duration: 25 Sep 200326 Sep 2003

    Conference

    ConferenceFirst European Weathering Symposium
    CityPrague, Czech Republic
    Period25/09/0326/09/03

    NREL Publication Number

    • NREL/CP-520-34702

    Keywords

    • domestic hot water (DHW)
    • manufacturing process
    • polycarbonate (PC)
    • polymeric glazing
    • polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
    • solar collector systems

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