Tempered Glass for the Durability Required in PV Modules

SolarTemp glass has strength and impact properties that make it suitable for use in photovoltaic modules. Tempering increases the strength of our glass to nearly 4x that of ordinary glass.

Cardinal’s SolarTemp glass includes:

• Tempering
• Ground edge and corner finishing
• Electrical connection portal

Heat-Strengthened and Tempered Glass Compression and Tension Zone

When the annealed glass is tempered, it puts the surfaces in compression (21% of the glass thickness) and the center in tension (58% of the glass thickness).

Stress Profile for Tempered Glass

Tempered glass meets the requirements of ASTM Standard C 1048, which requires a surface compression minimum of 10,000 psi (69 MPa). It meets the requirements of ANSI Z97.1 and CPSC 16CFR 1201 for impact performance and breakage size.

With Cardinal ST Tempering, Distortion Is Virtually Undetectable

Tempered glass is produced by heating annealed glass to a temperature of approximately 1,100-1,200°F (600-650°C) and rapidly cooling both surfaces in the quench area of the tempering line. Thermal, visible, solar and optical properties are not affected in the tempering process.